


Star Wars: Through the Darkness

by LunaPendragon96



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, F/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:48:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 46,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28670235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaPendragon96/pseuds/LunaPendragon96
Summary: The story of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine Kryze has long laid in the shadows, known only to those who had been involved at the time. But, what really happened during the Mandalorian civil war? when a young Padawan, separated from his master, is requested to protect a reluctant duchess? Hardships follow each step they take but, amongst the loss and grief and destruction, something else would begin to grow.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Bo-Katan Kryze, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Korkie Kryze, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Satine Kryze, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn & Satine Kryze
Comments: 24
Kudos: 62





	1. The Man from Nowhere

There was something eerily intriguing about the sands of Tatooine. For a poor soul who spent only a few rotations upon its barren surface, they would leave that place with pale tales of twin suns and crimson sands, soon to simply meld with other desert planets like Jakku and Geonosis. Even for inhabitants of this land, born in its sweltering heat and destined to be buried within its sand, thought of it as nothing but a dull, never changing planet. However, to an ageing wanderer, who’d settled within the planet's canyons some distance from civilisation, Tatooine intrigued him. Its blazing suns were a source of life and death for many of the lifeforms. The turning, churning sands like that found within a sandglass, each minute movement and shifting indicating some passage of time. 

The wanderer did not care for the simplicity of his quarters, or the blandness of this planet’s alien foods. It bothered him nought that the relentless suns bleached his hair white or formed wrinkles prematurely on his once handsome face, for this was the world where he’d met the man he’d once called a brother, it was also the world, with its blood-thirsty natives, that had given that same man a taste of the power revenge and hatred could produce. 

But that was very long ago. 

As the rotations continued, the silent wanderer continued to survive, in part to serve as penance for a failure that devastated the galaxy. And in part, as war and death rained on on other planets, to safeguard what may be the last hope for that same galaxy. But the boy was still too young, and the observant wanderer had forfeited any right to intervene and hasten the boy’s journey. He could just patiently wait until the time was right, when the boy would come to him for an answer. 

However, for the time being Luke Skywalker was oblivious of the destiny that awaited him, far away from the desert planet he called home, beyond the stars. He spent his days tinkering with the machines on his uncle’s moisture farms or playing war games with his friends Biggs and Cammie, where they wore buckets instead of helmets and bore pieces of scrap metal instead of blasters. It was often that the laughter of children playing would echo towards the canyon even where the wanderer resided, always keeping an eye on the young boy and yet keeping out of sight, until the wanderer was just a name Luke associated with the hermit he’d never actually met. He’d once even asked his uncle Owen about the old man and the moisture farmer had promptly answered, as he’d rubbed at the water filters with increased vigour. 

“Lonely old hermit. Traveled here after the clone wars for some peace and quiet so don’t you and your friends go bother him, you hear me Luke? Let him be and the ghosts of the past with him.”

Luke never understood what his uncle meant by that, some of the older kids, whose parents knew nothing about the men except his name- Ben Kenobi, even began to say that he was no man at all, but a ghost of a man felled in the Clone wars, still waiting for the war to end.

Every time one of the older kids would tell this story Luke, being the child he himself still was, would bravely exclaim that Ben Kenobi was no ghost, though his voice still quivered and his knees shook and, admittedly, he argued very little when his uncle warned him to stay away from the man. 

So one can imagine how surprised Luke had been when one day a hooded traveler stopped by their farm, asking for the mysterious man.

He was a handsome young man, with bright blue eyes and neatly trimmed blond hair and beard. Although he could only have been in his early twenties, lines crossed his brow as if he had creased it many a time in thought and, although he was swaddled in a light coloured cloak, Luke could see a scar running up the side of his neck. There was no doubt that this man had seen combat. However, Luke’s cautiousness was overcome by his curiosity as he peered from behind one of the evaporators, straining his ears to listen as the visitor spoke to his uncle in an accent he’d never heard before. 

“What brings you to these parts?” Uncle Owen greeted wearily, as he wiped his hands in a cloth. “This farm doesn’t get too many off-world visitors.”

“Is it that obvious?” The man asked lightly, Luke could sense no malice from the man and yet Lars continued to speak to him with care.

“What is it you want?” Lars had no time for pleasantries, he had work to do and, since Luke had been entrusted to him, he’d become cautious of strangers visiting.

“A rather shady fellow in Bestin sent me this way and I half expect I may have given him credits to send me on a wild convor chase.” The man admitted, pushing his hood back slightly to reveal more of his face. 

“Should never trust a shady person, especially in Bestin. You got lucky he sent you to a vapour farm in the middle of nowhere rather than to the jaws of Jabba the Hutt.'' The man nodded his head and Uncle Lars extended a hand towards the stranger, having cleaned it as best he could with his cloth and determined that, although a blaster very easily could be hiding beneath his cloak, the man was no immediate threat, he introduced himself. “I’m Owen Lars.”

“Jeyio Qvc.” The man answered, accepting Owen’s hand. Luke tilted his head in curiosity for some reason, he doubted that was the traveler’s real name.

“You must be tired if you came all the way here from Bestin.” Owen observed, eyeing the old speeder Jeyio had arrived on, which had instantly told Owen the man was off planet, for only inexperienced new arrivals would fall for buying such useless machines from the Betsin vendors. “We can’t offer much but…”

“I can’t stay, I must continue.” Jeyio interrupted. “Though I would be very grateful if you’d direct me in the right direction, or where I could go to find out what the right direction is?”

“Like I said, this is the middle of nowhere- nothin’s here.”

“Well it's not a thing I'm looking for… but rather a man. The vendor at Betsin said he goes by the name Ben Kenobi here? But…”

“What would you want with Ben Kenobi?” Owen instantly tensed, his distrust sounding in his voice. “We didn’t do anything to bring the Empire knocking on our door.”

“And I assure you sir, I’m not the Empire.” Ieyio spat out the last word as if the mere suggestion insulted him. “Kenobi was actually a close friend of my… mother. She passed away you see…” The young man let his sentence end there, allowing Owen to finish it how he liked, though the farmer continued to look at him carefully, contemplating how much of what the man said was actually true. However, though he used different means then Luke to read people, Owen could sense no ill-intent, although not all the visitor said was necessarily true.

“It seems you weren’t sent that astray. Ben Kenobi lives in the canyon region just north from here, another hour’s travel on your speeder should get you there.”

“I can show him the way!” Chimed in Luke, forgetting that he wasn’t meant to be listening to this conversation, yet eager to go see the mystery man from the stories. 

“Luke!” Owen’s voice was a growl of warning as the sandy haired child strode towards him. “You should be inside helping Beru with lunch! This is my nephew.” Owen added for Jeyio’s benefit. “And he knows he’s not allowed near the canyon’s, Tusken raiders stalk the area.”

“But uncle Owen!” Whined Luke.

“I should take care of these raiders then?” Jeyio asked, though he smiled fondly at the child. 

“Yes, they are a murderous bunch of thieves that prowl the area, unfortunately.” Lars shook his head solemnly, “Lost a lot of good people to them.”

Jeyio nodded his head at the farmer in understanding. “Thank you for your warning and your directions. I best be on my way.”

“Why don’t you stay for lunch?” Lars suggested again but once again was turned down. 

“Safe travels!” called Luke, as he watched a cloud of smoke blow behind the scooter and the mysterious visitor rode off soon to vanish into the memory of his childhood like so many other things.

Ben Kenobi sensed the new arrival before the young men even set foot within the canyon. He could also sense the Krayt dragon that pursued him. It was not often that Kryt dragons wandered towards the canyon for the naturally high walls hindered their movements, and the precious pearls found upon their bodies made the creatures instinctively wary of sentient beings. Yet the cry that echoed through canyon passages left no room for doubt of the identity of the pursuer, this dragon must have still been young or very hungry, or both. 

Normally Ben Kenobi would let nature play its course, just as he fed on the blackfish and womp rats to survive, did not the dragons not also have the right to feed? Even if his prey were a sentient being? Now, if he still used his former name he may have reacted differently but he had renounced that name many years before. His only mission now was to protect the boy. 

The sounds of blaster fire echoed as the man fired a few shots, four hit the canyon wall, causing pieces of rock to crumble to the ground, some in his own path and causing the speeder to swivel and tilt sideways, sending the man rolling into the sand. One fired accidentally during the riders fall actually hit the dragon, causing the creature to roar in outrage and pause just enough to allow the man to rise again and begin his run.

Ben closed his eyes, focusing on the task at hand- mending the old chair which he’d purchased from one of the Jawas. Ben prided himself on having many talents but creating furniture from the spoils of the earth was one he had yet to acquire. 

_ Let nature play its course. _ He whispered to himself as he struggled with a screw. 

He had even, almost, successfully blocked out the sound. It seemed the Krayt had almost captured its prey, it would soon be over and Ben would be returned to his quiet life. 

However the man’s panicked and frightened voice filled the air, amplified by the canyon walls and penetrating Ben’s mind with a shocking accuracy, causing him to drop his tools and rush out of his makeshift home. 

One would have expected any prey to shriek in terror as its imminent demise. But this man that had deviated Ben Kenobi from his work did not make some incomprehensible sounds but yelled at the world his final words, and it was these words that had caused the middle aged man to leave his refuge. 

“Obi-Wan Kenobi!”


	2. Revolution

“Oh Satine!” Luna gasped, covering her mouth with a pale, delicate hand. “You look beautiful!”

The young woman blushed at her sister’s words. By Mandaolrian culture her pale features were always deemed to be of astounding beauty, though she herself found her appearance rather bland. However her demeanour, and the fact that she was the eldest child of the New Mandalorian leader, had captured the eye of many a courtier. Satine was the eldest of three sisters each born just over a year apart. Luna was the youngest of the three, a beauty just beginning to blossom, with bright crimson hair and pale eyes like hers, she had her whole future ahead of her, she could choose be be a healer or a diplomate or even a nerf herder if she could ever overcome her instinctive need to gag upon smelling a wift of their droppings. For Satine and Bo-Katan, the middle sister, their fates were already set in stone. 

Their father, Korkie Kryze, was the leader of the New Mandalorians, aiming to free Mandalore from its blood bathed past, to lead them to a more peaceful future then that of his childhood and, although the journey had been hard and there had been opposition, Mandalore was finally at peace. Korkie had raised his eldest, Satine, to replace him when the time came, as the Duchess of Mandalore. The second child had also chosen her future, she’d train with the guard so, when it was her sister’s turn to lead, she would be there to protect her. Fortunately, Korkie, although having lost his wife to illness years before, still had many years left before his hair would subside to greyness so his daughters still had ample time to learn and train and grow. 

But that didn’t mean that certain responsibilities could be avoided and this was the cause of Santine’s fine dressage that evening. All day the servants had doted over her, making her skin paler and her eyes larger and yet making her lips a deeper, more endearing shade. Her long blond hair had been braided into an intricate updo (one of the servants had claimed it was all the rage with the queen of Naboo). As to devoid her of any other colour, her dress was a pale cream, the design of golden Mandalorian Vurmur flowers decorating her high necked bodice and the edge of her skirt.

“I swear, Tiil Tat got the better end of this deal.” Sighed Bo-Katan as, she too, looked at her older sister in approval, placing her hand on her hips. Unlike Satine and Luna, Bo-Katan, who preferred everyone call her Bo, was dressed in the formal wear of a guard, more for show then actual combat, but, aside from the jacket that she claimed constricted her movement, she was far more ready for battle in her dark navy pants, and surely more comfortable then here sisters, both donning dresses so long they could step on the skirt’s hem with ease.

“Oh, you're just saying that because you want him for yourself.” Satine teased playfully, delicately picking up her dress as she walked closer to her two sisters. 

Bo-Katan snorted in a rather unlady-like way. “I’d rather marry a strill.”

“Well, I think he looks rather dashing, if you ask me.” Luna chimed in. “Plus, he’s been eyeing you for as long as I can remember.”

“No one asked you.” Countered Bo, raising her hand to ruffle the youngest sister’s hair, but Luna agilely back-stepped, she refused to let Bo-Katan ruin her hair just because she chose to go out dressed like a boy. “And don’t be coy Luna, we know you have a fancy for Tiil’s older brother…”

“Stop it girls!” Satine declared, raising her voice ever so slightly but silencing her sisters with ease. “We mustn't speak ill of any of the Tat’s. This is a political marriage, must I remind you? It matters not which is more dashing, if either.”

“Yes yes, father’s drilled into us-  _ a symbolic marriage between the Kryzes’ New Mandalorians and the Tat’s Old _ .” Bo-katan explained in a sing-song way. Sometimes Satine wondered how this free spirited girl would ever become a guard but then she would correct herself and say, she wouldn’t trust anyone else with her life.

“It would be so much more  _ romantic _ though if you could marry someone, not only to help our planet, but out of love.” Luna wondered dreamily. “You think you could grow to love him?”

“As much as you can keep your nose out of those blasted books!” Countered Bo. “You haven’t stumbled on something too naughty, have you?”

“We should get going or I will be late for my own betrothal party.” Satine piped in, hooking a hand into each of her sisters’ before Bo-katan could elaborate and Luna could turn as red as her hair. She led the girls though the lavishly decorated passages to where the party was being held. Many of the paintings portrayed the lost natural landscape of Mandalore, now just a piece of history.

“You were  _ this _ close to being late.” Hissed Abi Jhong, a woman slightly older than Satine, who had been helping around the palace since the sisters were still very young. 

“Well, better introduce us before we’re  _ actually _ late.” Bo-Katan laughed, winking, as Abi tugged at her jacket and cleared her throat. 

Luna took an excited breath before walking up to the parapet, music was washing over them, slightly cloaking the chatter of the guests down below. As she took her place atop the golden staircase, the musicians paused, and Abi began to speak, capturing the attention of the whole party. 

“Countess Luna Kryze.” Abi called, loud and crisp as the youngest sister bowed, her floral green dress shimmering as she curtsied and began to walk down the steps, she smiled sweetly and stopped with confidence on the final step as Bo-Katan took her place on the parapet above. 

“Countess Bo-Katan Kryze.” Abi said, sneakily rolling her eyes as the woman gave a flamboyant bow before she followed her sister down the steps.

Abi allowed for an extended pause as Satine took her place upon the parapet, whispers spread across the crowd below, the eldest Kryze needed no introduction and yet Abi still called out. 

“Marquees Satine Kryze.” Satine gave an elegant courtesy before stepping down the flight of stairs, music began playing upon taking her first step and she didn’t stop at the bottom like those before her, but instead began to confidently stride towards the table where her father and betrothed awaited. Bo-Katan and Luna allowed the preplanned four steps before following their sister to the same table.

“Duke.” Satine greeted, as the three sisters bowed formally to their father, who rose in greeting. Korkie was as sharply dressed as one would expect the duke of Mandalore to be, his red hair gelled back, his moustache neatly trimmed. He wore a tailed jacket a similar shade to that of Bo’s but, unlike hers, golden Vomur flowers had been embroidered into the rich material. The duke gave each of his daughters a warm smile that caused his pale eyes to crease.

“Three of the most beautiful girls here.” He said, before turning to the young man who was sitting besides him. “Don’t you agree?”

“Though I only have eyes for my bride to be, I must agree.” Tiil Tat correctly answered, also standing to greet the sisters. He was a tall, broad shouldered young man, a few years Satine’s senior, with a shining bald head and a pair of ears which, unfortunately, he never seemed to have grown properly into. Besides him, Tiil’s older brother and head of the Tat family, Sokka, silently sat, drinking from a goblet as his cold eyes scanned the new arrivals, his expression revealing very little of his thoughts.

An awkward silence fell over the small group as Satine stumbled on what to say, she wished to give her own compliment but was finding difficulty with regards to what.

“Why don’t you find your seats?'' The duke prompted, recognising his daughter's discomfort, he had hoped, having known Tiil since she was a child, would have made the betrothal easier, but clearly he had miscalculated.

“Yes, lets.” Excitedly agreed Luna. “The chef hinted they'd be serving sugared meiloorun.”

“And I’m going to need some wine to get through this night.” Bo-Katan whispered so only Satine could hear. Satine silently agreed with her sister. Although the night of festivities was meant to be a celebration for her, and the guests danced and cheered and ate to their own pleasure, Satine could do very little but speak to Tiil on one side and her father on the other, with the former talking enthusiastically with Bo-katan about her guard training and the latter not having much to say at all. 

As Satine politely sat and ate, some of the guests stopped from their activities to express their congratulations- a senator from Onderon, a representative from Rodia, even a Lasat Jedi barely out of his Padawan apprenticehood.

The night of frivolous activity passed achingly slow, so, by the time the duke arose and silence fell once again, Satine had an unforgiving headache and was begging her father to be swift so she could go to bed.

Little did she know how brief he’d actually be.

Korkie rose, a freshly filled goblet in his hand, his cheeks rosy and his voice hearty as he began to speak. 

“Friends, I thank you all for joining my family on this day.” He began. “However, I cannot say that this is my proudest nor my happiest day.'' Satine looked up, confused, at her father, but he smiled down, resting a firm hand on her shoulder. “For every day with my girls is my happiest and I could not be prouder of the women they have become.”

The crowd clapped and cheered at the duke’s words. 

It was probably planned. The moment specifically selected, for none heard the shot or even saw the assassin before a trickle of blood ran down the duke’s nose, his eyes rolled back into his skull as he fell back from the shear force of the shot. Luna screamed as she spotted the assailant on the parapet, through the railings Abi’s body lay beside him, her unfocused eyes barely visible. Bo-Katan jumped to her feet instantly as an uproar began, guests shrieked and began to flee the ballroom, while others, people in dark helmets crafted in the traditional Mandalorian manner entered, stabbing and blasting at all that passed them. Satine could barely comprehend what was unfolding before her, her eyes unable to look away from her father’s unmoving body, as if, if she continued to stare, he may move once again. 

He did not move. 

Satine could not move.

The world was a blur and yet she felt as if her own body was moving in slow motion. Even the voice that called her was barely audible.

“Satine!'' The voice called again, it was Bo, pulling Luna besides her. Her blaster, which she’d only worn out of ceremony, was aimed at the assailants, alongside the guards that had been posted beside their table, trying to keep them at bay. Tiil was already standing beside her, urging her to stand, to escape. But his brother, Sokka, was calmly finishing his drink before sighing, satisfied by its taste and stood, revealing a blaster from beneath his jacket and aimed it at Satine’s head.

“Sokka!” Gasped Tiil. “What is the meaning of this?!”

“Don’t you move, brother.” Sokka warned. “You two as well, little countesses, one wrong move and I blow her brains out prematurely.”

Satine raised her head, the blaster filling her vision, she wanted to shake in fear but even such motions eluded her. Her quiet response seemed to anger Sokka, his own calm demeanour melting away.

“Your family has made Mandalore weak.” He spat. “We are warriors by blood and yet you would have us toss aside our armour, our very heritage, to bow before others all in the name of peace?”

“Sokka, put the blaster down.” Till warned in a low voice.

“You are weak brother.” Sokka countered as Bo-Katan continued to try to keep the attackers at bay. “You are a traitor to Mandalore as much as the Kryzes.”

“Put the blaster down.” Tiil tried to repeat, not wanting to provoke his brother further.

“Oh I will, once I shoot this little princess between the eyes, and her sisters too.” Sokka promised. “With them gone, New Mandalore will fall as well. This planet your father built has a foundation of sand, and it is about to give way,”

Tiil didn’t even answer, instead, with a warrior's speed, he pulled the blaster towards himself, forcing his brother to look away from his target as Satine finally stood, her chair falling with an ominous sound behind her. 

“Run!” Tiil ordered, as he struggled with his older brother, who he was painfully aware of being much bigger and broader than him. 

Satine paused, she wanted to do something, to fight back, to not be simply a target. But she had not been trained to fight. A hand gruffly grabbed her from behind, and Satine’s first instinct was to struggle, before she released it was Luna, pulling her towards the closest door where Bo, and what remained of the guards, were so desperately trying to keep clear. 

Satine needed to hear no words to know what must be done. She left the struggling brothers behind her, pulling Luna close to her as they ran after Bo-Katan, who was using an attacker’s body to block an incoming blast. The sisters ran to the door, tripping over corpses and fallen platters, ducking each time they remotely believed a shot had been sent in their direction. They refused to stop, choosing to drown out the shrieks and yells of the massacre that surrounded them. 

Satine only stopped once, at the door, sparing the room the briefest of glances but, in that moment she saw Tiil collapsing backwards, hitting the edge of her father’s chair, smoke floating from his body as Sokka looked down at him in disgust. 

It was then that she ran, as fast as her legs would let her in that blasted dress and she silently prayed that this was just some horrible nightmare.

But the nightmares would be far worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I will try and update twice a week and feel free to drop a comment, I always love to hear from you :D


	3. Mission

“Why the long face, Obi-Wan? I thought you’d be happy to be out of the archives and going off world.” Qui-Gon Ginn was adjusting the cloaking mechanisms of his star fighter, using the Force ever so slightly to fine tune his movements as he led the ship towards the atmosphere of their destination. 

“Yes I am, Master, but ... I was hoping for something a little more challenging.” The young Padawan sighed. Obi-Wan Kenobi had been in Qui-Gon’s apprenticeship for almost eight years now and it would have been naive of the Master to say he was still the young boy from Coruscant that he’d first met. Obi-Wan had defined features and shoulder length hair he neatly pulled back, revealing simply the braid that indicated his Padawan status. It would also have made Qui-Gon naive if he hadn’t noticed that his young Padawan, with his bright eyes and formal attitude, had attracted the attention of a number of the younger senators and their entourage. Of course, being the adamant follower of the Jedi code that Obi-Wan was, he brushed off their interest simply as them being curious of the Jedi ways, though a sneaky smile would still escape him at times, when a comment was passed about his appearance. 

“Slaying a monster, quelling a rebellion.” He continued. “I was hoping for something along those lines, Master.”

“Well, we are quelling a rebellion.” Qui-Gon explained patiently- oh, to be young and so eager for battle! The Jedi were not warriors but peacekeepers, giving aid where it was asked only. Though Qui-Gon couldn’t help smile at his Padawan’s words, only months ago Obi-Wan would have been reluctant in expressing his desires in such an informal manner but, following his declination of a Council seat, the master and Padawan’s relationship had finally gotten past their rocky beginnings. Although they still had much to learn from each other, at least, now, they flowed along the same currents rather than against each other, albeit they may not always be in the same boat. 

“I wouldn’t call guarding a princess quelling a rebellion, Master” Countered Obi-Wan, pushing out his cheeks, a childish habit he had yet to outgrow. 

“She’s a duchess.” Qui-Gon corrected. “And she’s found herself in the midst of a civil war. Jaro Tapal has vouched that her enemies wish her dead for her peaceful ways.”

“So why can’t Jaro Tapal stay with her? Or get her off-planet completely?” Obi-Wan countered, as he leaned forwards to better see his master from where he sat. Qui-Gon felt himself chuckle, it was not often Obi-Wan openly spoke against the orders of the Council and questioned them so. This was a clear sign he was growing. “I’m pretty sure he could carry her away even without the Force, he’s a Lasat almost as big as a Wookie.”

“You know that is not our mission as Jedi.” Qui-Gon took a steadying breath as he carefully manoeuvred around one of the moons of Mandalore. “She requested aid and the council has accepted, it is not our job to question her methods or requirements.”

“But that’s usually all you do!” Blurted out Obi-Wan. “We’ll be here a week, tops.” The boy sighed again, giving up on arguing with his master and not wanting to try his limited patience. “This is going to be some massive misunderstanding and the pr- duchess will be back to her high style life in no time and we’ll go back to Coruscant without a tale worth telling.”

“And yet I feel that may not be the case.” Whispered Qui-Gon as he manoeuvred his starfighter to look at Mandalore's surface, even from this distance he could see fire and destruction spreading across it like a plague, dark stains across its pale surface.

* * *

The Jedi and Padawan pair silently landed during the night amongst the dark sand dunes of Mandalore. Obi-Wan had read about the planet before their arrival on one of his many visits to the archives and, between researching ancient prophecies for Qui-Gon, he’d read how the Mandalorian outback had been deemed inhabitable after decades of wars and had forced the inhabitants to live within domed cities. It almost seemed to Obi-Wan, that the price of their warrior’s thirst was to become like fish in a bowl, being observed from the outside. And yes, Obi-Wan could feel many eyes upon the pair as they draped their fighter in a sand coloured piece of material and they began to stride towards their destination, allowing their long cloaks to obscure not only their faces, but also their tracks. By morning, there would be no trace of them.

“Why don’t the creatures attack?” Qui-Gon questioned, he knew the answer but he did this often, forcing his Padawan to think, not just strategically, but through another being’s rational.

“I can sense they are hungry, curious even of how we two legged creatures taste. They’ve probably looked at the Mandalorians in their domes wondering. But I think they must also be cautious, probably deep down, maybe with some primal instinct, remembering the devastation the two legged creatures caused on their planet with their weapons.” Obi-Wan explained, seeing not only with his eyes but with the Force as well.

“Most likely.” Agreed Qui-Gon approvingly, his Padawan, for being barely twenty years old, had proven to be very perceptive and, even more in recent months, since he’d chosen to continue training the Padawan rather than take a seat on the Council. “Though we can’t guarantee they will stay like that much longer.” And with those ominous words, the two continued on their journey.

It was surprisingly annoying to walk through the dark desert, Obi-Wan's knees ached as each step sank deep into the sand, filling his shoes with tiny, irritating grains- it really did get everywhere! He even opened his mouth to complain when his master raised his lightsaber, its sudden green light almost blinding him as, some distance away, a deflected blaster shot melted the sand with a rancid smell.

“Hey!” Began Obi-Wan, also reaching for his lightsaber but Qui-Gon raised his free hand slightly, halting the youth’s action as, in the darkness, he saw movement.

“We are the Jedi aid requested by the Duchess.” Qui-Gon called, lowering his lightsaber but keeping it active, ready to counter another stray shot if necessary.

The rustling in the distance intensified as, from behind one of the dunes, a middle aged man appeared, in a dirtied soldier’s uniform and with a ragged, unshaven face.

“Excuse the young one.” He called, putting away his blaster and slipping down the dune to greet the master and apprentice. Qui-Gon put his own weapon away, sensing no malice from the man. “The last few rotations have made her weary.”

“And with good reason.” Qui-Gon agreed. “You’ve changed the rendez vous location three times since we left Coruscant.”

“Because those blasted rebels keep finding us.” The man spat. “The name’s Xak Dench, I was the Duke’s vice captain, though I guess I’m captain now?”

“I’m Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Gin.” The Jedi introduced. “And this is my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“Do you know how they keep finding you?” Obi-Wan enquired, cutting pleasantries short.

“We believe they kept back-tracing the messages we’d been sending to the front lines.” The captain explained as he began to lead the pair around the sand dune where two similarly beaten looking guards were waiting. They remained at their post even as the captain led them past, most likely they were scouts keeping an eye out for enemies of any form, the captain had only been there to intercept their arrival. “The Duchess sent her final instructions before leaving our previous position and has gone dark ever since so this location shouldn’t be compromised for the time being.”

Qui-Gon nodded his head.” Yes, it was from there that we received your encrypted message but I fear you may not be safe here for much longer. If the rebels organise and have the right equipment they could decode the message and find this place.”

The captain let out a deep, tired sigh. “These girls were not trained to fight in a war, Master Jedi. The middle one has some form of combat training, but the other two have barely even held a meat knife, let alone a blaster.”

Obi-Wan scoffed at the captain’s comment but Qui-Gon quickly covered up his apprentice’s reaction with an answer.

“From what Jaro Tapal informed the council, the duchess wishes to negotiate with the usurpers?”

“That would be the eldest, Satine, she doesn’t want Mandalorians spilling Mandalorian blood. Her last instructions were clear, the army were to prioritise civilian life and expel those damn rebels from the cities, in more formal terminology, of course.”

“How will her army function if the Duchess cannot send her orders?” Obi-Wan wondered, as the small group stopped besides a smallish crevice in the ground. 

“She gave the generals power to direct their soldiers where they felt fit, for she feared she was too inexperienced to even suggest an effective strategy.”

“Sounds like the Duchess has washed her hands on them.” Grumbled Obi-Wan, his image of the Duchess worsening the more he heard about her.

“Or that she knows where her weaknesses lie.” Countered Qui-Gon, as Xak knelt down and flashed his torch down the crevice, switching it on and off in a complex sequence.

Obi-Wan tried looking down at where the captain was looking, curious, but all he could see was darkness and yet... he could sense life below the surface. So he was only mildly surprised when, from that darkness, a makeshift ladder made of scraps of metal began to grow out of the shadows and stopped just short of the crevice’s opening. 

The captain had no need to explain as he tossed both legs into the crevice’s mouth and began to climb down. Qui-Gon went after Obi-Wan.

“Welcome to New Mandalore HQ.” Explained Xak. Unexpectedly, a few meters from the surface the crevice had begun to widen until, on one side, a massive cave manifested, with a patchwork of tents and tiny fires littering the barren surface. Settling amongst the stalactites and stalagmites, the encampment looked almost as if it were standing within the mouth of a great beast.

In Obi-Wan's eyes, the place didn’t look much like an HQ, he could really tell the group had been caught unawares by the civil war’s eruption. In one corner, there seemed to be a small handful of crates, most likely some storing food and provisions, others weapons. From the number of camps, the Padawan doubted that the camp held more than a dozen individuals. He could see very little machinery or speeders so either they were hidden somewhere deeper or on the surface... or they had none. The Duchess’s followers seemed painfully unprepared.

A small collection of men and women were gathered around them, each covered in dust, some in ripped clothing, others with bandages wrapped around some body part, most with their hands resting on the hilt of their blasters. 

“They don’t seem very pleased to see us.” Obi-Wan didn't need the Force to sense their mistrust, they did very little to hide it from their faces.

“The songs of eons past tell of battles between Manda’lore the Great and an order of sorcerers called Jedi.” A woman’s voice echoed smoothly around the cave and it seemed to hold some form of power as the group, without complaint, parted to allow a young woman, most likely Obi-Wan's age, to pass. Majority even bowed their heads in respect. 

A woman of Obi-Wan's height, she looked as weary as the guards. Her light hair seemed matted with dirt and dark shadows had begun to appear under her eyes. She was also wearing a guard’s uniform that seemed two sizes too large for her. However, just from the simple air with which she carried herself with, told the Padawan she was far more than just a guard.

“All Mandalorian children are told these stories. Parents use them to make sure they behave.” She continued, she even tried to smile however it seemed painful and turned into more of a grimace. “You can see why my people may be frugal at your arrival but I believe you may be able to help us. The last Jedi I encountered saved my life during the escape and I have always believed there to be more to the stories.” 

“The Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi.” The captain introduced, bowing slightly.

“I thank you for bringing them here.” The Duchess nodded her head in thanks.

“Duchess Satine.” Qui-Gon said graciously, bowing with ease, shooting his Padawan a sharp look to do the same but Satine quickly gestured with her hand for everyone to rise, though it hadn’t gone unnoticed that the boy had shown her respect with delay and reluctance. 

“Thank you both for taking the perilous trip to come to my planet's aid.” She began.

“The Jedi council could not decline an offer to mandate peace negotiations” 

“That’s assuming the other side feels like talking.” Pointed out Obi-Wan, a boyish arrogance seeping into his words. So far his first impressions of the Duchess had not been very far off from their initial mark. 

The duchess narrowed her eyes slightly at the Padawan. Quin-Gon stayed silent, the duchess had every right to reprimand his apprentice, he should know the etiquette on how to address the head of state, irrespective of how young they were or for how long they had held the title. Back on Coruscent, he had addressed far younger political leaders with more respect but the duchess had strangely irked him since the moment they had been given this assignment.

“You are a Jedi apprentice- a Padawan, correct?” The duchess enquired looking the young man up and down. Obi-Wan instinctively stood up straighter and held his head high. “I expected you to look a little more formidable, a little taller at the least.” And with that, she turned her back on the duo and began to walk towards one of the tents.

Obi-Wan felt his face flush red and a strong arm on his shoulder.

“I believe the Duchess Satine may be far more interesting than you anticipated.” Qui-Gon commented, trying to stifle his laughter as he began to follow the duchess and her entourage.

Obi-Wan shook his head slightly and mentally groaned, Qui-Gon was wrong, this mission was already as irritating as he had expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next update will be on Tuesday and feel free to drop a comment. Thanks again for reading and I'll update soon :D


	4. 3/5s

The tent that the duchess led the Jedi to was only slightly larger than the rest but, on the inside, it was most likely the most crowded and filled with things. A large table took up the central space, across its surface were a number of overlapping maps, printed on yellowed paper, most likely the veterans of previous wars. Two girls younger than Satine had been talking over the maps when they entered, pointing at specific parts however, they stopped abruptly when they noticed the new arrivals.

“Satine, you know I support you but what difference will two Jedi make in this war?” The elder of the two asked. Her hair looked unevenly cut, as if she had done it herself with a knife, and a piece of blood stained material was wrapped around her upper arm. She looked at the pair with narrowed, skeptical eyes.

“One Jedi and one Padawan.” Corrected the younger girl, her face was dirtied and smeared as if she’d been crying. Her swollen eyes did little to aid her denying claims. “I read about them in a book- the braid is a…”

“So we risked our location for a Jedi and a half?” The elder sister sighed.

“These are my sisters, Bo and Luna.” Satine introduced. “They are usually nicer, I assure you, but the whole situation has gotten us all on edge.”

“Friends call me Bo, you can call me Bo-Katan.” Bo-katan quickly corrected.

“Jedi master, Qui-Gon Jinn.” The master introduced himself, brushing off the girl’s comments with ease. “And yes, this boy may be my apprentice but I assure you he is more than half a Jedi.”

“Most likely ⅗ Jedi.” Satine murmured but coughed to cover up her words when Obi-Wan shot her a look, indicating he’d heard her. She ignored the glance and went to stand beside her sisters as if nothing had been said, Satine may have been raised with a foundation of ladylike etiquette however, if he insisted on treating her with disrespect she would give him the same courtesy.

“We must venture out of the shadows for provisions soon, food and water will run low, especially if this dry season persists. “ Bo-katan explained, her eyes scanning the maps once again. “If only we had a damn lake marked on these…”

“Food and water will mean nothing if we don’t find medications to aid the wounded.” Luna looked pleadingly at Satine. “We had to send off two more soldiers this morning.”

“I know that.” Satine snapped, for the first time losing her composure slightly. “I said the prayer.”

“I’m sorry, Satine.” Luna lowered her eyes, in the light they gleamed slightly with fresh tears. 

“No… I’m sorry Luna.” Satine sighed apologetically. “I shouldn’t have snapped but you must know I'm trying all I can to get our home back.”

“Hiding in a hole won’t help anyone though.” Observed Obi-Wan, causing Satine to narrow her eyes at the youth, she couldn’t understand what she’d done in the few minutes since they’d met but the Padawan was showing much unrestrained criticism towards her. 

“For two generations my family has sacrificed their lives to bring Mandolore to peace.” Satine countered. “I refuse to foil their decades of work by succumbing to the same brutal instincts that started this.”

“But won't passivity cost more of the lives you wish to protect?” Obi-Wan countered. 

Qui-Gon massaged his brow, his Padawan was not one to usually row with a diplomat and he chose to interrupt for fear that the duchess may decide against their arrival. 

“We have some emergency supplies on our person.” He offered, adjusting himself slightly to allow the bag he had been carrying on his back to fall at his feet. “You can treat the most severely wounded with this but we have more resources on our ship. Master Tapal had failed to inform us how dire the situation was here”

“That's because things have only worsened since his departure.” Luna admitted.

Qui-Gon nodded his head in understanding, he could only imagine what these young women had been through just to survive this long. He’d have to deal with his Padawan’s attitude later. 

“Xak, organise a group of soldiers to accompany the Jedi Master to his ship to aid with the retrieval.” Satine ordered. “We are in your debt, Jedi.”

“Our orders were to aid with the peace negotiations,” Qui-Gon admitted. “There wouldn’t be much negation if your side was lost to injury.”

“Or thirst.” Added Obi-Wan, taking a few steps away from his master and looking down at the old maps. “What have you been doing about food and water?”

“All through the day and night the Usurpers scour the deserts for us.” Began Bo. “But this cave seems to be linked to a series of tunnels, some of which are still occupied. “

“So you’ve been hunting?” 

“Yes, though hunting one creature is usually more dangerous than the meat it provides.”

“But that must mean there is a water source somewhere, correct master?” Obi-Wan addressed that last question at Qui-Gon. 

“Yes, but Mandalore is devoid of any surface water sources, they were dried out during the old wars.” Qui-Gon explained, also looking down at the maps, half wondering why they were resorting to such antique methods. 

“That’s not entirely true!” Gasped Satine, looking up at the Jedi. “The lakes and seas didn’t so much as dry but rather  _ drain _ below the surface due to the cracks caused by past weaponry- that is how most of the cities’ locations were selected, to rest over a mass area of groundwater.”

“Will we be able to access these?” Qui-Gon looked up at the duchess. 

“No.” Bo-katan quickly answered. “The groundwater systems under the cities are guarded and fenced off to avoid outside attack- sentient and non sentient the likes.”

“But!” Gasped Luna excitedly. “A number of smaller villages were left abandoned in the desert when the owners migrated to the cities. Back then people would choose to settle around an area with ample water sources all year round.”

“So, assuming these smaller sources drained below the surface as well, if we find one of these villages we may be able to find water.” Concluded Qui-Gon.

Satine spun on her feet and quickly ran to one of the boxes in the room, rustling through the contents. 

“We could only escape with what we could carry but one of the guards had managed to acquire a number of maps from Father’s study.” She explained lifting one paper after another and observing its contents in the dim light.

“That’s how we achieved this fine collection.” Sarcastically added Bo-Katan. 

“You can stop complaining when you learn how to make a holocron map out of sand and bone. “ Satine scolded, standing up, and triumphantly placing another, even more ancient, map over the others with the lines on its surface looking hand drawn and large stains obscuring parts of it. At first glance, Obi-Wan didn’t realise that this map was showing the same planet as the other maps had. 

“It's one of great grandfather’s maps.” She explained, as both her sisters gave her confused looks. “ It shows Mandalore before the great domes.”

“So this should have the old cities?” Gasped Luna, her curiosity getting the better of her. 

“Or even the location of some of the ancient lakes!” Gasped Bo-Katan. “We must compare the maps, see where they would be now!”

“You should send men to the surface, try to find any remains of the villages…” Obi-Wan began but Satine shook her head quickly.

“No, I've been on enough flyovers over the desert, there’s nothing on the surface.” But she then looked at Xak, who was still standing quietly at the entrance. “We must send men into the tunnels, using these maps we may know the general direction we should travel.”

“It's possible, Duchess.” Agreed the captain. “Those critters must be getting their water from somewhere but I fear we don’t have the firepower to handle more than two at a time. If we are finding their watering hole we’re bound to find a lot more.”

“This time though, we’ve got the Jedi by our side.” Satine finished, looking up at the two men with a new energy in her eyes. 

“Ready to prove you are more than 3/5s Jedi?” Joked Qui-Gon, much to Obi-Wan’s annoyance and Satine’s embarrassment at being heard. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks so much for reading, i hope you enjoyed the chapter (even if it was a bit of a short one this time- I'll make up for it next time). Feel free to drop a comment and next update will be on Friday :D


	5. Maze

Retrieving the resources from the starfighter proved far more difficult than Qui-Gon had initially anticipated. Unlike the journey to HQ, where the master and Padawan had been left undisturbed, in the crimson morning light the clear sky was decorated with Mandalorian ships, which zoomed through the atmosphere, without doubt looking for Satine and her sisters. Spotlights slowly and carefully washed over the desert surface. Qui-Gon half suspected that the rebels had been notified of the Jedi’s ship's general location, possibly upon entering the atmosphere and it did not bode well if the rebels had acquired such technology so early in their war.

Apart from the metallic threats in the sky, the creatures of the surface also seemed to have become more active. Choosing to hunt when light was more favourable and the sun, as yet, bearable. The sands were alive with an innumerable number of hideous creatures, some scouring through the grains for scraps, others feeding on these and, a few of the more courageous creatures, even tried to prey on Qui-Gon and his small band. His lightsaber made quick work of them, their charred corpses leaving a clear message to the others to stay away.

Thankfully, Qui-Gon had landed the ship a decent distance away from where the duchess was hiding so, even if it were discovered during his absence, it would be of little aid to the rebels, with there being too much distance and unfamiliar terrain to search through. Fortunately it seemed that the ship had yet to be discovered and, in the hours since Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had departed from the ship a fine layer of sand had swept upon the sheath that cloaked the ship, allowing it to blend even better with the surroundings. Keeping a careful eye on the skies, the small group entered the shadow of the ship's wings only to find a number of small creatures had selected the ship's shelter to become their new home. Qui-Gon let them be, they were very small rodent-like creatures that barely reached his calves, with long ears and sand coloured hair. He doubted they would cause him or anyone any trouble so he let them sleep though, they did jolt fearfully when the small group climbed into the ship, making a number of unfamiliar sounds.

“Take what you need.” Qui-Gon said as he mentally made a list of what may aid the Mandalorians.

“Medication.” Xak started, looking around the small ship just big enough to house two people. 

“We’ve got emergency rations…” Qui Qon began but the captain cut him off.

“Duchess Satine made me swear to take only the medications promised.”

“I fail to see why she is refusing any further aid.” Admitted Qui-Gon.

“Just in case she fails and you and your apprentice must make a hasty escape from Mandalore.” Was the captain's solemn reply.

* * *

Obi-Wan would never openly admit it, because the young duchess irked him beyond words, but he was impressed at how efficiently she worked. Even before Qui-Gon had left with Xak and a few soldiers to their ship, Satine was already skimming over maps, using a makeshift compass- a metal needle in water that Luna had quickly made- to compare the maps. Luna had left alongside his Master and the captain, taking the medication Qui-Gon provided gratefully and had run off to aid the wounded.

“Here are the maps of the tunnels we’ve explored so far.” Bo-katan exclaimed, barging into the tent with a handful of papers she’d collected from the guards. “

Satine accepted the sheets without words and, very carefully, began to try and align the pieces over the other, much older maps. As she worked, Bo-katan left her sister to her thoughts, choosing to focus her energy on preparing the soldiers outside to be ready when Satine gave the order. 

“Keep an eye on her, Padawan.” Bo-katan hissed, as she walked past where he was standing, back leaning against one of the tent’s supports, his arms crossed as he watched the Duchess work in disinterest, even translating ancient prophecies had been more stimulating. The soldiers were still distrustful of the Jedi due to the stories so wouldn’t take kindly to his orders or recommendations or his presence in general.

“Yes, I'll make sure she doesn’t get a paper cut.” He answered, earning him a sharp look from the younger girl before she headed outside. 

A silence that seemed to spread for hours fell between the two. Satine barely ever looked away from her maps as she murmured to herself and began to mark a few things on the maps. A few times, Obi-Wan had tried to look over at the table, at the maps of Mandalore that coated it, not only representing different times, but different depths but, a sharp look from the woman caused him to retreat into his corner each time, before he could touch a single paper and disrupt her organised disorganisation. 

After a while, when the boredom had almost lulled Obi-Wan into a stupor, he finally asked, “Is there _anything_ I can do?”

“That depends.” Satine stated after a short pause, finally looking up from her papers to look at Obi-Wan with her pale eyes. “Are you okay with traveling through dark, monster-filled tunnels?”

“Duchess Satine, I’m always ready.” Obi-Wan declared with a flare, unhooking his lightsaber from his belt and igniting it for emphasis. 

“Switch that thing off, unless you want everything to burn!” She gasped, pulling her precious maps towards herself, as if the mere presence of the lightsaber would cause them to ignite.

“Sorry.” Murmured Obi-Wan, realising that that may not have been his brightest idea, as the Duchess marched past him, papers still in hand, and out of the tent. Obi-Wan followed her out where the duchess was soon intercepted by her sister. 

“Got anything?”

“Maybe.” Satine explained, carefully holding the maps as one would hold playing cards between one's fingers. “I believe these three tunnels lead in the general direction of where a medium sized village once stood.” She gestured to the tunnels in question and the routes she suggested they take. “Obviously, we must be careful as there are many of these tunnels we still need to map and no one should ever travel any branching routes in less than three groups of three. That way, if something were to happen to one, someone could stay with the injured and the other can return to the main group and get help.”

Bo-katan nodded her head, and Obi-Wan silently agreed with her reasoning. The duchess may still be new to the title but there was no doubt that her loyalties lied with her people, irrespective of the rank they held. 

“I’ll tell the men, we’ll head out at once.” Bo-katan stated, looking at the maps and trying to identify which of the tunnel mouths represented what on the maps.

“I believe, if you, me and Padawan Kenobi each led a group, we’ll increase the chances of success…”

“You’re not going into those tunnels!” Hastily interrupted Bo-katan, as if her sister had just suggested something absolutely insane, which she had. “You are the Duchess of Mandalore, and those tunnels are dangerous, we don’t know how stable they are but we do know how dangerous the creatures that made them are.”

“I won’t stand here, safe, while I ask my people to risk their lives performing a task I myself am forbidden to do.”

“Yes, you will.” Bo-katan insisted. “For that is what leaders do, they send people they can trust to get the job done. “

“But…”

“I’m not sure how much you trust me.” Butted in Obi-Wan, eager to do something other than idly wait “Considering I’ve only known you both for a few hours, but I will get the job done.”

“But I don’t want to stay here while _you_ risk your life.” Satine did very little to hide the worry from her voice as she addressed her sister. 

“But this is why I've been training to be a guard all these years.” Bo-katan argued back. “Let me guard you, I’m your sister.”

“Well I'm the older sister!” Countered Satine.

“And the Duchess of Mandalore.” Interrupted Obi-Wan once again, causing the duchess to spare him a glare. “And you should act like one. You are not trained for such duties. You’d only be in the way. Your sister would be too busy worrying about you to actually do her job.”

Satine quickly closed her mouth, taken aback by the Padawan’s sharp words. Although, she didn’t take kindly to the fact she’d only be in Bo-katan’s way being pointed out.

“Fine.” She finally said with a steely tone. It felt like she wanted to say more but instead she handed the maps to Bo-katan and headed back into the tent.

Bo-katan sighed. “She wants to be a leader Mandalore can rely on and thinks putting herself in danger, rather than others, is the only way she can do that.”

Obi-Wan didn’t reply but simply followed Bo-katan to where a group of soldiers waited, ready for their orders.

* * *

Obi-Wan returned to the cave long after Qui-Gon and Xak had. He had found the two, alongside Satine, in the medical tent, watching Luna as she carefully reapplied the dirty bandages on the soldiers as they thanked her with barely audible words. Silently, she wished to be able to change the bandages, or to at least wash out the dirt and dry blood, but their water was rationed and couldn’t be wasted. 

Obi-Wan allowed Bo-katan to enter first, she looked as tired and ragged as he felt. Although they’d mapped a larger chunk of the tunnels than they had initially intended, his tunnel had branched out far more times than they had anticipated, and they couldn’t check them all whilst keeping the three man rule Satine had implemented. The girl’s cautious nature had caused Obi-Wan much frustration, which he gladly let out on the creatures the soldiers had called fanned rawls- large serpentine creatures with jagged spikes running from the top of their heads to the end of their tail which, Obi-Wan learnt the hard way, they could shoot with surprising accuracy. And, if the spikes and its ghastly glowing eyes weren’t enough, it could shoot venom. By the time they’d slayed the first one, his lightsaber decapitating it with a vicious glow, he had a number of fresh holes in his clothes, which he was particularly grumpy about. When they encountered the fifth fanned rawl, and only survived with a number of the soldier earning venom burns, Obi-Wan gave the order to retreat, and, although one of the guards assured him that the rawls were edible once the spikes and poison glands were extracted, they returned with no news of water. 

It seemed Bo-katan had had similar luck, which she reported solemnly to her sisters. 

Satine sighed. “If only it could have been that easy.”

“Have faith,” Qui-Gon encouraged. “ The mission wasn’t a waste, for you returned with food and have mapped more of the maze, your work will progress faster now.”

“Though you should post guards by the tunnel entrances.” Obi-Wan warned, “I don’t think the rawls will approve of us using their tunnels as hunting grounds.”

Satine nodded her head in understanding. 

“And the rawl poison, if mixed and diluted correctly can have a pain numbing effect.” Eagerly piped in Luna. “Many of the injured will be grateful for that.”

“Were you training to be a healer?” Qui-Gon asked, as the girl continued to delicately spread a shimmering light blue salve over Bo-katan’s injured arm, her face contorting in pain as she did so. He was impressed at the medical knowledge this noble youth had.

The girl shook her head, “I just read a lot of books is all.”

“Kinda grateful you did.” Admitted Bo-katan, sparing her younger sister a soft smile when the analgesic effect of the medication began to work.

“And that you chose to train as a guard.” Replied Luna, tightening the bandage while gently placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “We couldn’t have gotten out of there without out.”

“Ah, the Force works in mysterious ways.” Qui-Gon said knowingly, sensing it was never by chance that these sisters had chosen these paths to follow. 

“While I’m the useless diplomat that just needs saving.” Murmured Satine, most likely to herself. However, after being in the caves for so long, Obi-Wan’s ears had temporarily become more perceptive but he was too tired and aching to comment, snarky or otherwise. Not even as she charged out of the tent, ordering the venom glands be extracted carefully, did he choose to react. 

Silently he prayed he could just get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story and feel free to drop a review. Next update will be on Tuesday :D


	6. Departure

When Obi-Wan had declared that the mission wouldn’t last more than a week, he most certainly had not anticipated that he’d spend that week travelling through dark, monster infested tunnels in search of water. For the first few days a number of groups would set off through the tunnels crossing off dead-ends and adding new paths to their maps. But each day they would return, with more injuries than they had left with and having used vital resources in search for water they had yet to find. 

It would be an understatement to say that moral amongst the soldiers was low and yet the Kryze sisters were relentless in their work, it wasn’t that they refused to stop, it was more like they couldn’t, as if, if they took a moment to breath , the inevitability of their situation would hit them and immobilise them. And so they kept going.

“If we hope to find water we must not waste time back tracking .” Qui-Gon suggestion on the third day. “We’ve mapped all we could for one day’s worth of travel, we must send a group out there prepared to survive for a prolonged journey.”

Bo-Katan nodded her head in agreement, a fresh gash was visible near her ear where a rawl had shot a spike at her. “It's the only way we’ll be able to explore deeper into the system.”

“Then take all the men and resources you can.” Decided Satine, looking up at the small group standing around her, each one having spent countless hours, one way or another, trying to aid in their survival. 

“Is that wise, Duchess?” Courtly enquired Qui-Gon. “We will severely deplete the resources dedicated to your cause.”

“If we do not find water soon, there will be no cause.” Satine sighed. “Each day we waste searching for water, the more people we lose.”

And on that solemn note the meeting was adjourned.

A handful of hours later three groups led by Xak, Qui-Gon and Bo-katan journeyed into the dark tunnels, leaving behind Satine, Luna, what remained of the injured and, much to his dismay, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Much like the duchess had, Obi-Wan argued with his master at being left behind to babysit but Qui-Gon silenced him with ominous, parting words. “I have a bad feeling about this- I sense danger approaching the Duchess.”

“Then why don't you keep an eye on her and I search the maze?” But Qui-Gon shook his head.

“You’ll be fine Obi-Wan, You must get her through this.” His master ordered, “ Protect her- get her off planet if you must.”

“You speak as if you will not be with us.” Obi-Wan could not understand why the situation had changed so drastically, all that changed was that Qui-Gon and the others would be away a little longer in search of water, was dehydration making the old master’s mind confused?

“I fear I may not be seeing you for some time.” Qui-Gon admitted, pulling his backpack over one shoulder. “Stay alive Obi-Wan Kenobi, and keep the Duchess safe, you may be her only hope.” And with those last words he turned and walked to the men and women that would follow him into the darkness, and to leave his Padawan with a sickly feeling in his stomach. 

Satine stood beside Luna, as they watched the three groups vanish into the tunnels, a heavy silence filling the cave as they wondered how many of them would return.

“They’ll be back in no time, right Satine?” Luna whispered to her sister but the Duchess remained silent, she was exceptionally bad at lying to her youngest sister.

With the majority of the people gone, the camp seemed hauntingly empty. Luna would spend every waking moment beside the injured, filling her time by satisfying their every need as best she could, a guard would hover some distance away, making sure his ward was always in sight.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, however, found it exceptionally difficult to do the same with the duchess Satine. It would seem that, in her every waking moment, she insisted on doing something, refusing to stay still. Occasionally she would even resort to pacing just to pass the time. If Obi-Wan hadn’t been so worried for his master, still mulling over his parting words, he would have found the girl’s antics rather amusing. 

On the second day since Qui-Gon’s departure, Obi-Wan decided, rather than spend another day watching an anxious girl pace and fret he’d at least meditate- maybe, if he really concentrated, he could even sense Qui-Gon. And so, as the duchess paced before the tunnel entrances, keeping her in his line of vision, Obi-Wan knelt on the dust covered ground and closed his eyes, wishing to spend a few moments delving into the Force. 

Now, as has been said, Obi-Wan has had training before, but, being on the field in a foreign planet leaves an alien strain on the body and, having spent most of the night on watch to make up for the skeleton guard left at camp, Obi-Wan was far more tired then he had anticipated and so it wasn’t very surprising that, very soon after closing his eyes, his meditation shifted to a dreamless sleep.

Obi-Wan awoke with a start some hours later, disorientated and with a pounding headache which quickly intensified as his eyes readjusted to the torch light just enough to realise that Satine was nowhere to be seen. Scolding himself out of his sleep induced stupor, he ran through the camp, checking the duchess's usual haunts to no avail. As an unusual panic began to grow in his chest, internally screaming at himself how he’d explain to his master how he’d lost a duchess, Obi-Wan stumbled to the tent the sisters usually shared, a guard just fresh out of recovery standing guard. When Obi-Wan hastily asked her if she’d seen Satine, the guard informed him that the duchess had in fact come to check on her little sister not so long before but had decided against resting, claiming she needed some air.

“Though where she’d go to get some air in this cave I don't know.” The guard admitted, sheepishly. 

Obi-Wan cursed under his breath, he’d really need to tell Bo-katan off on the quality of training some of the guards had, as he looked past the woman to a distant wall where the ladder, which had initially let them down into the cave and which they usually left resting on the ground, was leaning against the wall and leading up to the entrance of the crevice.

“Are you insane!” Growled Obi-Wan before he even got off the ladder. Anger was not the Jedi way but he could do very little to hide it from his voice. 

“The scouts warned me a ship passed over at twilight, it should be safe outside for a little while.” Satine didn’t even look at him as she spoke. She was sitting only a few paces away from the crevice’s opening, her knees tucked tight towards her chest as she looked up at the clear night sky. A warm breeze ruffled her dirtied hair and, wrapped in her oversized guard’s uniform, she looked a lot smaller than Obi-Wan had ever seen her and, in the Force, he could sense a great sadness washing off her. However Obi-Wan refused to allow such sympathies of this to sway him from his task, he had been given a mission. 

“There are still creatures roaming the surface.” He scolded. “Was it really worth the risk for a breath of fresh air?”

Satine took a moment to answer.

“We can’t see the stars in the Domed Cities.” She admitted. “The constant light from buildings and streets obscures them. That's why Father was trying to implement a night of darkness, where all artificial lights in the cities were turned off and people could look at the stars… but even then, I’ve never seen so many.”

“I still don’t think this is the time for stargazing, Duchess” Obi-Wan sighed but allowed his anger to melt away as, with a few strides, he covered the distance between them, until he was standing besides her. “You should have at least called a guard to stay with you.”

Satine shrugged sheepishly. “Well you’re here now, aren’t you?” Obi-Wan looked down at her with a raised eyebrow as she looked up at him, sheepishly, like a child you’d just tried to squirm herself out of trouble. “You may not like me very well but you are always on my heels in no time, Padawan Kenobi.”

Shaking his head at her antics, he sat on the sand next to her, and from his belt he unhooked his blaster and handed it to her. 

“I don’t not like you.” he added as he did so, so he could understand why the duchess thought he didn’t, his mannerisms and attitude towards the woman hadn’t left much space for interpretation.

“That’s very… thoughtful of you” Satine simpered, holding the blaster between her thumb and middle finger and holding it far from her body, as if it were releasing an appalling stench.

“Do you even know how to use one of those?” Obi-Wan asked in disbelief.

“No… but how hard can it be? Just aim and pull the trigger.” She explained, demonstrating. 

“Whoa! point that thing away from me.” Obi-Wan quickly said, though lightness filled his voice, as he pushed the nozzle of the weapon away from his face. “And, I assure you, there’s more to it than that.”

“I assumed there was or else Bo-katan wouldn’t have had to train so hard.” She sighed, resting her chin on her knees and looking out at the unchanging terrain, allowing the blaster to rest on the sand at her side. In the distant horizon a light illuminated the sky, to an unaccustomed eye traveling Mandalore it may have been mistaken as the first rays of the sun signalling a new day but Satine knew that that was the light of a domed city. She knew not which it was, maybe Keldabe or Sundari but, although they were many days travel away, their light could always be seen at night. However, in a time of war, that light could only mean one thing, a domed city was burning.“I wish I'd been taught how, then Bo-katan and the guards wouldn’t have to risk their lives for mine all the time.”

“I don’t get the impression they mind.” Admitted Obi-Wan, leaning back slightly and allowing his hands to sink into the still warm sand.”They’d walk through fire if it meant helping your cause.”

“You mean my father’s cause.” Satine muttered. “I just took up his mantle.”

“Mandalorians will protect those they deem not only to need protecting but those that deserve it.” Recited Obi-Wan, remembering a text he had read back at the Jedi temple, finally all those hours spent in the archive for his master paying off. “That is the way.”

“Well I want to protect my people.” Satine declared. “Padawan Kenobi, would you believe that this planet once had a forest to rival Kasshyk? Or oceans so vast and deep that the Mon Calamari deemed it almost a second home? We have already lost our planet to war, I do not want to lose my people to it as well.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help notice that that was the first time the duchess had stated not what  _ would _ be done but rather what she  _ wanted _ done, it was only a slight difference but the meaning spoke volumes. 

“Do  _ you _ know how to use a blaster?” Satine suddenly blurted out, mentally scolding herself for speaking so. In the starlight Obi-Wan could not see the slight blush that had spread across her cheeks as she wondered why she’d spoken so openly with the Padawan. 

“Yes.” Admitted Obi-Wan. “They teach us many forms of weaponry at the temple, but the lightsaber is the Jedi’s tool.”

“Is it not a weapon though?” Satine wondered, remembering the brief moment she’d seen it when Obi-Wan had almost burnt her maps some days before.

Obi-Wan shook his head and spoke looking up at the stars. “Any tool can be a weapon just as any weapon can be a tool. The Jedi are not warriors but peacekeepers and our lightsabers are only tools to be used for so.”

“Learned that from the temple as well?” Satine wondered, trying to imagine how a Jedi temple would look like. Probably very large, with so many books that Luna’s eyes would bug out and so vast training guards that Bo-katan could get lost in them. Satine wondered, were there many Jedi masters like Qui-Gon Gin? Many Padawans like Obi-Wan Kenobi- would they all be as annoying, yet interesting?

“Master Qui-Gon, actually.” Obi-Wan admitted.

“You and your master make quite the team.” Satine admitted.

“We’re actually very different.” Admitted Obi-Wan, “Our interests and techniques contrast quite obviously at times.”

“But I assume that’s how it is with all Padawan and master pairings?” Satine enquired, remembering all the times she’s argued with her father, such things were trivialities now that he was no longer with them, time wasted she never would get back.

“To an extent, but we two? more so than others.” Obi-Wan looked at Satine for a moment, before looking back up at the starry sky. “Not so very long ago I feared he was to hand me over to another master, I still don’t understand why he didn’t consider the opportunity he had been offered…” Obi-Wan admitted, remembering the mishaps that had unfolded no long after that. “But I am thankful I can continue to learn under him.”

“You must miss him.” Satine mused, remembering her own sister traveling the tunnels below. 

“The Jedi do not believe in material connections, we are all connected in the Force, irrespective of distance.”

“Material connections?” Satine tilted her head slightly at the term.

“Bonds between individuals or materials.” Obi-Wan tried to explain. 

“But what of family?”

“Our families give us to the Jedi Order at an age too young for us to remember.”

“But what of the bond between master and Padawan?” Satine continued to ask, she couldn't even imagine a world without her sisters though, until a few rotations previously, she couldn't even imagine one without her father. 

“Hmmm, the bond between Padawan and master may be the bond most likely to resemble a familiar relationship but it is only temporary, a form of learning.”

“And what of other relations then?” Satine inquired curiously, she had studied much on the Jedi and yet it felt different learning from one who had lived the Jedi way all his life.

“ All types are forbidden- familiar, marital, even just primal physical relationships.” Obi-Wan explained casually, though Satine half wondered why she felt disappointed with his words.

“It must be lonely then.” She mused.

“Like I said, we are all connected in the Force.”

“Which only makes it lonelier.”

Obi-Wan finally looked away from the stars to look at the duchess, somehow, in the starlight, her pale features were given an almost ethereal glow.

“How can it be lonely if we are all connected, duchess?” It felt like a contradiction to say such things.

Satine paused, mulling over how she could explain this to the Padawan, the lonely sensation that had spread across her being as he’d described his connections in the Force with such whimsy. 

“It's like the stars.” She carefully explained, “we group them into solar systems and constellations and from where we are, they seem close and even overlap but, in reality, some are lightyears apart.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to protest, to state that only one sensitive to the Force may be able to comprehend what he meant but their conversation was cut through with a razor sharp scream that echoed out of the crevice behind them. 

The two jumped to their feet, Satine staggering sideways on the uneven sand as Obi-Wan gently grabbed her arms to steady her. However she looked up at him with suddenly fearful eyes.

“Luna!” she yelled, her voice trembling as she said her sister’s name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter :) Feel free to drop a comment and next update will be on Friday :D


	7. Collapse

Luna had been having a unpleasantly familiar dream, more like a memory that was not her own. She’d been dreaming of the mother, who’d died only a few hours after giving birth to her, after having succumbed to a sickness the birth had weakened her against. Luna had often seen this woman, looking as she had in the portraits that covered her home, with long crimson hair and pale eyes, much like her own, dressed in a gown of white that carried on the ground much like a wedding trail. This time however, Luna’s father was standing besides her, smiling fondly at the wife he’d finally been reunited with.

“Father!” Luna had called urging her feet to move towards the couple but, with each step she took in their direction, the further away they moved until all her movement did was leave ripples on the surface upon which she stood.

“Mother! Father!” She called again, her voice echoing in the emptiness that surrounded her. The woman finally looked away from her husband, seemingly unphased at seeing Luna running, unsuccessfully, towards them. 

“Wake up, my darling.” She whispered, her voice washing over here. “And run”

And that’s why Luna had forced her eyes open, the woman's voice still filled her mind as she heard rustling within her tent.

“Satine?” She whispered, shakily in the darkness, as she tried to look for her torch. As she patted the ground her hand brushed against something course and warm and that made a squealing sound at her touch. 

Luna’s first instinct was to scream and, when the guard did not immediately charge into her tent, she shot to her feet, almost stepping on another creature as she did so, something was very wrong here. 

She could hear shouts and yells from the outside, even a few blaster shots were being fired. Suddenly very awake she ran out of her tent to the chaos that filled the cave. Large rodents had infested the camp, so large they reached her knees in height. They had a fur covered abdomen but their head, limbs and tail looked as if they’d been shaved too close to the skin, which was so translucent she could see the vessel running across the surface on some. 

Hundreds of these creatures ran through the camp, screeching as they manoeuvred their way around the tents, over the guards still too injured to move, and up those that tried to stand against them, shooting their blasters and stabbing with their knives as the creatures’ sharp claws dug into their flesh. 

“Luna!” The girl heard her name echo through the cave as her eyes darted around, finally spotting her sister, Satine, climbing down the ladder that led to the outside world, Obi-Wan Kenobi was swiftly climbing after her, choosing to jump the last few meters and slash at some creatures as he landed. In most situations such rodents would instinctively try avoid the glowing sword of death but these seemed to sense no fear as they crawled passed and around Obi-Wan- or maybe they had something else they feared more. 

“What’s going on here?!” yelled Obi-Wan Kenobi, he had encountered a few of these rodents during his travels through the tunnels but never in these numbers. 

“Luna!” Satine yelled again, finally landing on the ground besides Obi-Wan. She ran towards her sister but Obi-Wan quickly outstretched his hand, he could sense the creatures' fear but they were not the source.

“Let me through!” Satine begged, as she saw her sister struggling to escape her tent as more of the creatures swarmed past her. However, Obi-Wan refused to budge as his eyes narrowed on the tunnel that the creatures were escaping from, it was the tunnel Qui-Gon had entered a few days ago.

That's when a feral roar shook the cavern with such force that a number of stalactites fell to the ground, some impaling rodents, others crushing tents under their force. Obi-Wan cursed under his breath as he raised his lightsaber with both hands, slicing at a number of larger rocks. Obi-Wan cursed under his breath again as Satine, taking the moment his focus was elsewhere, to get past him and to run towards her sister, stumbling and tripping over the frantic creatures. 

Obi-Wan full out began to swear as, from the tunnel, the most hideous creature he had ever seen emerged. It crashed into the cave, seemingly doubling in size as it unarched it back, a large bipedal predator with sickly grey skin and small, menacing spikes protruding from its knuckles. Rugged tusks grew at the side of its circular mouth, lined with razor sharp teeth. It's dark eyes frantically looked around the cavern as it stomped both fists into the ground, grasping a twitching rodent and pushing it into its already blood covered mouth in a ghastly display.

It roared again as it began to chase its prey.

What was a Nydak doing in Mandalore? They should only have been found on Darthomere but clearly some wise Mandalorian of the past had chosen to bring one here, either to aid in some battle, or as a test of courage. If it were the latter, Obi-Wan doubted the Mandalorian had been very successful. 

The guards quickly redirected their shots at the monster, shooting one blast after another but they seemed to leave little effect, other than causing its scarred skin to twitch with irritation. 

“Luna!” Satine yelled as the youngest Kryze screamed again, watching as the Nydak charged at the closest guard, grabbing her by the waist and snapping her spine from the grip alone, before munching into the corpse’s stomach, allowing innards and gore to spill out. 

“Will you stop squirming?!” Obi-Wan protested, jumping over the rodents to grab Satine’s wrist and stop her from doing anything too stupid. 

“It’s going to eat my sister!” She pleaded.

“Then either very quickly learn how to use that blaster.” Began Obi-Wan, pushing her behind him once again. “Or stay back and let me help.”

And without waiting for her answer Obi-Wan charged at the creature, using the Force slightly to lift him into the air, allowing him not only to cover the distance between him and the monster more quickly but also allowing him to slice the creature from above. The monster reared backwards in pain, swiping at Obi-Wan as if he were an irritating fly but Obi-Wan had anticipated the attack and jumped back, only to be sent crashing into a nearby wall as the creature used its other hand to sweep him to the side. Obi-Wan’s head bounced painfully against the hard wall, dust falling over his eyes as he coughed and gagged trying to recapture the air that had been knocked out of him.

The monster deviated from its course to look at the morsel of food that seemed still very much alive within its grasp. It looked at him, its multiple eyes scanning Obi-Wan curiously, the foul stench of its breath causing him to gag. 

“Let him go you slimy bag of worm ridden filth!” Satine yelled.

Obi-Wan would have felt impressed by her insult hadn’t she decided, at that moment, to test out her none existent blaster skills, causing him to ignite his lightsaber, deflecting the shot that would have hit him in the face and, in so doing, singing the creatures claw so severely that the Nydak had to release him with an agitated roar.

“Watch where you’re aiming?!” Obi-Wan yelled in disbelief. 

But Satine wasn’t listening as she watched her deflected blast, almost in slow motion, hit the top of the cave and watched as an ominous web of cracks began to spread. 

The cavern had been formed over hundreds of years, having weathered innumerable storms and earthquakes and even the great destruction brought about by the Mandalorian wars of old but, with each battle, with each drop of water, the cave’s integrity had diminished, slowly but surely. Finally, with that deflected blast, the cave could take no more, like a man breathing his dying breath, the cavern began to break apart, crumbling until it was raining rock and sand all around them, threatening to crush or bury them alive. 

“So should you!” Yelled Satine over the crashing rocks, coughing and gagging as the avalanche of rock began to snuff out the lights as she tried to spot her sister through the falling debris. She could hear screams and yells and more blaster fire. Rodents screeched and the monster roared as, in its panic, it tried to stomp Obi-Wan, who dodged but the attack caused cracks to appear and spread along the ground. 

Obi-Wan cursed loudly again as he began to run, seeing the ground beneath the monster giving way. The creature grabbed at him but, using the Force, he barely escaped its grasp. 

“Luna!” Satine coughed, stumbling through the falling debris, one hand over her head for protection while the other covered her mouth, trying to block out the dust. 

“Duchess!” Yelled Obi-Wan, realising that the duchess, in her frantic search to try find her sister, had not noticed that cracks were spreading at her feet, and, if the Nydak’s fall was any indication, it was very likely that something else lay below their encampment. 

Watching the girl stumble as the earth continued to disappear into darkness, Obi-Wan gritted his teeth and delved into the Force, extending his arms and pulling them towards him. Satine shrieked in surprise as she was swept off her feet and sent flying towards him. He grabbed her with both his arms, enveloping her small body with his own as the shower of rock and sand intensified and he felt the ground vanish from below his feet. He pulled her closer, his mind focusing on the Force, as the two fell into the unknown. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey :D So chapter 9 is up, I really hope that 3-way conversation was clear (was a little tricky writing 3 disembodied voices) :3. Anyway, thanks so so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to drop a comment next update will be on Tuesday :D


	8. Tunnels

Satine coughed and gasped as she tried to let air back into her lungs. There was a ringing in her ears and she felt something warm dripping down the side of her head. Her body wretched as she tried to cough out all the sand and dust she’d somehow swallowed and inhaled during her fall. She looked around, dazed, unable to see anything but a tiny patch of starlight a very far distance away, somehow, however, she had survived. 

Satine clenched her fists, checking for broken bones, only to feel harsh, warm material between her fingers and that was when the ringing in her ears stopped to reveal a voice. 

“Not that it isn’t immensely comfortable having a bloodied woman with a smoker’s cough sitting on me, but could you please  _ get off _ ?” Obi-Wan’s voice instantly caused the daze to vanish and her mind cleared just enough to remember that Obi-Wan had grabbed her with his, surprisingly, stronger-than-they-looked, arms, and it was most likely thanks to him that she had survived such a fall. 

“Duchess!” He gasped.”I’d like to breathe now!”

And that’s when it dawned on her that she was sitting on his chest. As if she’d been electrocuted she shot to her feet but almost stumbled on the uneven ground as she did so. Obi-Wan grabbed her wrist with lightning reflexes and forced her to kneel on the ground with a look that warned her not to even try to move or else she’d be saving herself next time. Unfortunately, in the darkness the effect was minimal.

Obi-Wan coughed and wheezed slightly as he tried to regain his bearings, it was only thanks to his use of the Force that he and the duchess had survived but the effort had left him exhausted and drained. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realised they had fallen so deep into the tunnel system that there was no possible way, even with the Force, that they could climb out. In a moment of panic Obi-Wan patted his belt where, to his relief his lightsaber was still attached. His master would never forgive him if he’d lost it.

Gaining a little more energy from the find he looked at Satine’s barely visible shape. 

“Let’s agree that you never shoot a blaster again, okay?” He sighed. 

“Yeah, tried it, done it, brought a cave raining down on us.” She agreed, “And most likely buried my sister and men in the process.”

“There’s still a chance they survived.” Obi-Wan tried to console but he was too tired to even try to see into the Force. 

“You should have saved my sister, not me.” Satine wanted to yell but the exertion caused her to cough painfully, her ribs filling her with pain at the action.

“My mission is to keep  _ you _ safe.” Obi-wan reminded her, asking the Force for patience. “And, like I said, she may have survived.”

Satine let out a shaky breath not even the eldest of her guards had been this adamant of the rules and their job.

“We only did because you used your magic.” Satine sighed again, looking up at the little piece of sky she could see, straining her ears for any sign of life but all she could hear was her own heartbeat and Obi-Wan as he tried to steady his breathing.

“Force.” He corrected, as, with a little struggle, he balanced on his weary feet and stood. “And it would all have been for nought if we just die down here.”

“But we've no idea where to go.” Satine warned, “I assure you, none of my men ever mapped this deep into the maze.”

“When lost.” Obi-Wan began, unhooking his lightsaber and igniting it, allowing its light to illuminate the small area around them, casting deep, unflattering shadows over Satine’s face and to reveal a seemingly intact tunnel before them. “The only way must be the right way.”

And with that Obi-Wan began to lead the way into the tunnels. Before Satine could follow she looked up at the stars one more time, unsure when she’d see them again and sent a prayer that both her sisters were still alive, somewhere.

“ _ The only way must be the right way _ .” She repeated in a hushed, mocking voice after several minutes traveling through the unfamiliar tunnel. “Such splendid words of wisdom from the Padawan.”

“Hey!” He growled looking at the source of both their unease. “How was I supposed to know that  _ thing _ survived?”

The Nydak was slumped against the wall of the tunnel Satine and Obi-Wan had chosen to follow. By some demonic miracle it too had survived the fall and had had enough energy to crawl into the tunnel where it, presumably, collapsed from exhaustion and its injuries.

“Well, what should we do now? Lop off its head?” Satine hissed, straining her eyes to look at the sleeping creature in the poor light of Obi-Wan’s lightsaber. 

“We? Don’t you mean me?” Obi-Wan hissed back. “And for a pacifist you can have rather violent ideas at times.”

“It's useless being a pacifist if you get eaten alive.”

“Well, I'll be honest with you, I do not have the strength to fight that thing, even above ground he was a tough one…”

“So we just walked past?”

“And hope we don’t wake it.”

And so the weary duo began to slowly walk towards the Nydak which, with each breath, let out a belch-like snore. They took each step with care, Obi-Wan leading the way with his lightsaber as they drew ever closer to the monster. Each step they made, each crunching of the sand beneath their feet, caused the pair to hold their breaths as they watched to see if the creature would finally awake. 

It was slow, tedious work that went against their every instinct to run past the Nydak at full speed but, such careless movements, would have surely brought their travels in the tunnels to a swift end. They walked as silently as they could past the Nydak’s scarred head, one of its tasks must have broken off during the fall.

“It’s going to be a tight squeeze.” Admitted Obi-Wan as the creature shifted slightly narrowing their path even more. 

“I know I’m small but not t _ hat _ small.” Satine scowled, seeing that the monster was taking up the full width of the tunnel.

“We can probably jump it.” Obi-Wan observed, eyeing the creature as he calculated his chances. 

“What!?” She hissed, “We’d never make it over it! We’d land on it and wake it for sure!”

“Have faith in the Force, Duchess” Obi-Wan said mysteriously.

“Faith? In magics?” 

“Well it's got us this far.” And, being honest to herself, Satine couldn’t argue with that. Obi-Wan retracted his lightsaber and carefully, making sure it was securely attached to his belt, he knelt on one knee, hands palm up behind him.

“W-what are you doing?” Satine whispered.

“Well, you can’t use the Force so I’ll have to jump while carrying you.”

“I’m the duchess of Mandalore…”

“And you’ll be Nydak food if you don’t hurry.” Obi-Wan hissed, rolling his eyes and asking the Force to give him patience. 

Satine hesitated for a moment, was it even possible for Obi-Wan to make such a jump whilst carrying her? But then she also thought it impossible to survive the fall they just had. So, grudgingly, she put her slender hands around Obi-Wan's neck and allowed him to put his hands under her thighs as he stood, steadying his grip on the ground as he prepared to jump. Satine knew that he was being serious at that moment as he made no comment on her weight. 

Instead he took multiple breaths before running and leaping, allowing the Force to fill the balls of his feet and push him forward. Satine held her breath as they jumped through the air, disbelief filling her as he landed across the creature without even a stagger. 

“I-I can’t believe you actually did it!” She gasped, remembering to keep her voice low as Obi-Wan gently lowered her to her feet. 

“Trust me Duchess, that’s only one of my  _ many _ skills.” Obi-Wan, on the other hand, excited at actually succeeding, had forgotten to keep  _ his _ voice low. 

The creature gave a low, irked grumble as it turned, the pair just able to see the glint of its eyes as they opened and turned to look at them. 

“Well stealth doesn’t seem to be one of them!” Satine scolded, backing away from the creature. 

“Less scolding and more running!” Yelled Obi-Wan, igniting his lightsaber and running through the tunnel, Satine on his heels, as the creature growled and began to pursue them, obviously remembering the pain the lightsaber had inflicted not so long before.

They frantically scrambled away from the monster, stumbling over rocks and gravel as the creature’s roars echoed within the tunnel, warning them that it was getting ever closer. Obi-Wan's mind was racing, what were the chances of him winning a fight against the Nydak? It's tough skin had already proven it would take multiple slices of the lightsaber to penetrate and he could feel exhaustion spreading from his core. Since the fall, he had been running on adrenaline, his mind and body pumped up to not feel the pain that must have been there. The Force was a mysterious thing but he was still only human. 

Even Satine could tell that weariness was falling over the Padawan, although his pace was still steady, his breath was coming out far less even and he held his lightsaber with a firmer grip. They had to find a way to escape this monster or else they’d be its next meal. As they ran, it took much of their energy just to see the tunnel ahead of them in the blue light of the lightsaber but it looked long and never ending and they had long given up trying to decipher the direction they were heading for the time being, the Nydak was their biggest priority. 

Satine reacted before she could even fully consider how badly things could have gone wrong. Her father had always told her to consider all possibilities but, between the possibility of escape and their likelihood of getting devoured she took the chance. An indent further up in the tunnel had caught her attention, it was lower and narrower than the passage they were running in, far too small for the Nydak to pass through- if it were a tunnel at all. 

But that was the gamble Satine played as she crossed behind Obi-Wan, grabbing at his wrist to pull him into the side tunnel. He quickly saw what she saw and deviated his direction. It was a tight squeeze, the two having to painfully slow their pace as they squeeze through, but Satine stumbled back as the passage widened enough for her to turn and pull at Obi-Wan’s hand, forcing him through the gap that was slightly tighter for him and causing him to stagger onto her as he fell in, reigniting his lightsaber to face the opening. The Nydak roared in outrage as it pushed at the tunnel's narrow opening with its task, but even its large, meaty hand couldn’t make it very far in, it claws scratching at the walls in frustration. 

Obi-Wan and Satine were heavily panting, slowly reversing away from the Nydak, preying that the tunnel’s entrance would not give way. After many, agonisingly long minutes of staring at the struggling creature, Obi-Wan lowered his lightsaber, slightly.

“I think we should be safe.”

“For now.” Sighed Satine, her back sliding against the cave walls that felt slightly chilled after the sprint they’d just had. 

“We should head further in.” Obi-Wan warned, “The Nydak isn’t going to budge from there.”

“Good.” Sighed Satine, as she examined her bruised hands. “It can be helpful for once and act as a guard, it will scare off any more creatures that may try to reach us from that side.”

“But…” Began Obi-Wan, looking between the Nydak and the continuation of the tunnel they had just entered. He didn’t like the idea of staying in one place for too long and, in all honesty, he wanted to find his master, he’d know what to do in a situation like this.

“Sit down, Padawan Kenobi.” Satine ordered with as much force as she could muster. “We must at least give ourselves time to catch our breath.” She continued, lifting her hand to her temple where the injury she’d received during the fall had reopened. She had wondered if Obi-Wan was okay, he had received the full brunt of the impact but, if he were in pain, he said nothing.

“You are right.” Agreed Obi-Wan, too exhausted to even pretend to grudgingly agree. “I got a feeling we will be running a lot for the time being.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter done! Thanks so much for reading and hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to drop a review and next update will be Friday :D


	9. Warmth

The dark can be a terrifying thing, wandering aimlessly through its embrace one loses any perspective of time or distance. That is the gift darkness gives, at a price of one’s senses and sanity, a world devoid of time- minutes, hours, days- merged into one monotonous black. As the two jumped between the worlds of consciousness and sleep, each trying to somewhat recover from their injuries, both physical and emotional, they were unaware of how long they had sat there, just that it was thanks to fortunes above that no other creature had stumbled upon them.

Satine jolted awake, the pained snores of the Nydak dragging her out of her restless sleep. The young woman panicked at first, unable to recall where she was or how she’d gotten there but, as she tried to push herself into a more stable seated position, the cold bite of the cave’s surprisingly smooth surface told her all she needed to remember.

“Padawan?” His name came out simply as a hiss of air, her throat felt so dry she feared she wouldn’t be able to speak but she tried again, and this time an inkling of the words seeped out of her mouth. 

“Padawan Kenobi?”

“I’m here, Duchess.” The youth’s reply was raspy, but the slight scraping of material told Satine he was at least able to move, somewhat. 

“We lost consciousness.” Satine felt the urge to state the obvious, to get not only her mouth moving but her mind as well.

“I tried to stand guard but… it was a very unwise move from the two us.” Obi-Wan tried for a low chuckle that came out more like a cough.

“Bo-Katan and your master would scold us mercilessly if they ever found out.” Satine tried to laugh as well, possibly the first time the two had shared something that resembled a friendly joke, but the two simply coughed together.

“Let’s agree not to tell them then.”

“It will be our little secret.”

Obi-Wan sighed and tried to push against the cave wall, standing on his stiff legs. Qui-Gon had warned before his departure that something bad was going to happen but never, in his wildest imagination, had he anticipated that this would be it. Qui-Gon had warned him, if such a thing were to happen, they should head to the ship but the Padawan felt reluctant to leave his master to his unknown faith, and surely, being a master, he’d have a better grasp on how to deal with the situation. He also doubted that Satine would leave without at least trying to find her sisters. 

“We better get walking before we grow roots.” He sighed, and he heard Satine struggle to her feet, he reached out instinctively to help her but almost jumped back at a sudden cold that pricked his fingers. It took him a moment to realise that this was Satine.

“You’re freezing!” He gasped.

“And you’re not.” Satine observed, still too tired to sound surprised.

“The Force can keep me warm, to an extent.” Obi-Wan, sheepishly, explained.

“Then lead the way, Hot Shot, let’s see if we can find a way out of this forsaken place.” And with little further discussion Obi-Wan, carefully, ignited his lightsaber in the narrow passage and began to lead them through the endless tunnel.

The pair walked in silence, each one captured by their own thoughts on what lay ahead as they continued on their journey. The tunnel seemed to slope downwards slightly, proving that any hope that this would take them to the surface, would have been misplaced. However, as they continued to walk, Obi-Wan focused on the tunnel ahead for unwanted visitors, and Satine strained her eyes to look at the wall of the tunnel they were walking within. Unlike the rest they’d seen, the walls here were smooth, almost shining, in the light, as if it had been freshly polished.

“I-I think water must have passed through here, at some point.” Satine murmured, touching the tunnel’s wall with shaky, numb fingers, it was also getting colder, the deeper they travelled. 

“I was thinking the same thing.” Admitted Obi-Wan, pausing to look at the Duchess. Satine studied the walls a little longer, her thoughts sluggish and slow as she realised the man had just agreed with her and she looked back at him, his body illuminated by the coloured glow of his saber. The Padawan appeared no better for wear, his usually neatly tied hair was coming loose, his robes were ripped in multiple places and, under some, she could see bruises and scratches barely visible in the blue light. 

“That would also explain the cold.” Satine sighed, rubbing her arms with her palms, trying to generate a little heat.

“It’s handy the Force blocks it.” Obi-Wan repeated, guilty of not feeling the cold as much as the Mandalorian, though it had begun to cause an irritating tingle across his bare skin.

“Lucky you.” Satine commented as she continued to walk, the cold had started to seep through her shoes from standing still. “Let’s keep walking for those of us not so blessed.”

Obi-Wan only stopped when he heard Satine stumble behind him some time later. She was breathing heavily, her lips and skin indistinguishable in the light and her teeth seemed to be chattering lightly, though she tried to cover it up with shivering hands. How long had they been traveling? How long had it been since they’d fallen into these tunnels? Although they had practically passed out after being chased by the nydak they hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since before the fall. Obi-Wan quickly patted his belt, he’d checked for his lightsaber but not the emergency supplies, his master would have scolded him for making such a rookie mistake in this situation. The small pouches of first aid and food seemed intact, and he even found his half full flask of water that still contained his ration of the day. 

“We need to rest.” He began, “we need to preserve some energy or we won’t make it to the water- assuming there is any.”

“If we stop now I think we’ll freeze before we get there.” Admitted Satine, stomping her feet and blowing into her hands. “Or at least  _ I _ will.”

“I may have a temporary solution for that.” Casually said Obi-Wan, trying to remember his survival training from back at the temple and, reluctantly, he handed the hilt of the ignited lightsaber to Satine. 

She took a step back.

“Just hold it.” He commanded, already reluctant to part with it. 

“I-I can’t hold that! Do you not remember the blaster mishap that literally brought a cave falling down on us?” She protested.

“Just take it, and make sure to keep the blade- the big bright part- away from your face… and my face… and your limbs … oh actually, just keep it away from anything that can burn or get cut off.” And, very reluctantly, as if she were holding a bomb, she took the blade from Obi-Wan, allowing its glow to warm her face slightly, the contrast in temperature causing her skin to tingle. Her eyes focused on the glowing blade for as long as she could, watching captivated, at the plasma light that danced before her. 

“It’s quite- what in the world are you doing?!” She yelled, her voice echoing as she saw Obi-Wan undoing the knot of his belt. 

“It’s a basic survival technique.” He explained, as he carefully loosened his belt enough to be able to untuck the outer, dark brown robe as he shrugged it off. “When in such cold conditions, body heat is the best way to warm up and, “ He continued to explain as if he were reciting a book, “with you already looking like an icicle and me being able to use the Force, I can warm the two of us up just enough to get us a little further.”

Satine wanted very hard to argue, but she too had read such things in her books and couldn’t find any viable reason to counter argue. But in the back of her mind she wanted to yell at the oblivious boy, she was the duchess of Mandalore! she couldn’t just cuddle - for that was what it was- any man just to stay warm! She had a reputation to keep, but which would mean nothing if she froze to death... But she was the Duchess of Mandalore! But he was also a Jedi Padawan, sworn to celibacy, it was all purely harmless, a means of survival. The sudden warmth that rushed to her cheeks, however, seemed to tell her otherwise. 

Obi-Wan, however, seemed oblivious to the duchess's internal struggle, or chose to ignore it, as he undid his undershirt and removed one hand from its sleeve, the light of the lightsaber further emphasising his surprisingly toned chest … and the even more surprising number for scars that lay across his skin. 

“Are you going to come here or not?” Obi-Wan complained, the bite of the frigid air was even more piercing against his bare skin. “This isn’t particularly comfortable for me either.” 

Satine hesitated as he looked at his outstretched hand.

_ You are the duchess of Mandalore. _ A little voice inside her head whispered but, seeing the scars across his arms, and the wounds he’d received from the fall, that were a heinous purple in the lightsaber’s light, Satine pushed away her pride and childish feelings to lean against Obi-Wan’s bare side, allowing him to drape the sleeve of his shirt over her, along with the other cloak. He shuddered slightly at her icey touch, taking a sudden inbreath in surprise. 

“Sorry,” The Duchess murmured, unable to look the Padawan in the eyes, as she pulled the outer cloak closer to her chin. 

Ideally, given the situation, Satine also would have removed her jacket allowing for their skin to skin contact to warm the other more efficiently. However, ObI-Wan was not as oblivious as satine thought, he knew he couldn't ask a woman to do that, especially not the duchess of Mandalore.

“It's ok.” He said, also adjusting the clothing to better cover the two of them as they sat on the cold tunnel floor. He couldn’t even make a sarcastic comment, Satine must have been freezing and yet she hadn’t complained once. If he hadn’t told her to stop, they’d probably still be going as she lost her fingers and toes. For one who most likely had lived a pampered life, she didn’t complain about such discomfort and inconveniences as the Padawan had anticipated. 

It was also disturbing how small she felt beside him, the guard’s uniform she always wore was big, but the stress of the civil war had worn her away quickly. She wanted to be strong and yet, to Obi-Wan, she looked almost as fragile as ice sitting besides him, one wrong move, and she would shatter. However, even if she were broken into thousands of shards, she wouldn’t stop struggling for her sisters and planet.

“Don’t complain.” He said, trying to fill the awkward silence that had fallen between the two as he draped his bare hand around her shoulders, pulling gently and forcing her to rest her head on the crook of his neck so more of her body was forced into contact with his. “You’ll warm up faster this way.”

He was right, Satine could feel his chest rising and falling as he breathed, hear his heartbeat against the silence of the tunnel but, she highly doubted it was due to the Force that she felt a warmth slowly spread across her body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter :D Feel free to drop a review, next update will be on Tuesday.


	10. Depths

The pair continued on their journey not so long after that. Obi-Wan, along with sharing some of his Force generated warmth, provided Satine with a small amount of water and a square of food supplement. Although it tasted bland and had an unpleasant texture in her mouth, the Padawan assured her that that one square contained enough nutrients to support them for a full Coruscant rotation.

“A delicacy of the Jedi temple?” Satine joked, as she chewed on the square, wishing it didn’t require so much chewing before swallowing.

“It's an actual Jedi practice.” Obi-Wan said, in all seriousness. “Master Plo Koon has consumed this everyday since leaving his apprenticeship and has been able to unlock 47 flavours stored within it.”

Satine just looked at him, only half remembering to close her mouth as the Padawan took his final bite and looked at her exasperated face. 

“47 flavours?” She gasped, unable to imagine this little square having anything but this disgusting taste. 

“Oh but the sacred 48th taste still eludes him, it's a secret Master Yoda refuses to share.” Obi-Wan, swallowed. “They say that the square will turn pure gold and produce the sweetest of tastes.” Obi-Wan turned to look at Satine as he spoke only to see her, in the light of the lightsaber, to be fully consumed by his words, much like a child who has been told a brand new story.

“You’ve got to be joking?!” She gasped, unable to imagine such a possibility. 

“Of course I am!” Obi-Wan laughed, only to laugh harder at the furious embarrassment that appeared on her face. “How could you even believe that?”

“Well, what was I supposed to think?” She tried to defend, standing and allowing the clothes Obi-Wan had used to cover her to fall to the ground. He shivered at the cold that suddenly bit at his bare side at her departure. “You can jump impossible distances, use the Force to actually warm yourself up- it seemed very feasible and, honestly I think this is the closest thing to a joke you’ve ever said.”

Obi-Wan could only chuckle as he slipped his bare hand into his sleeve and adjusted his shirt to more efficiently cover his chest and keep him warm as he, too, stood, choosing to ignore her comment about jokes. He joked, when he felt like and the mood permitted. The middle of a rebellion didn’t really ask for such antics.

“Good to know you’ve regained some energy.” And, carefully adjusting his outer cloak he looked at Satine, whose hands were crossed and still looking offended at Obi-Wan's misleading words. “We should get moving.”

“Then lead the way, it's you I'm waiting for.” She responded tartly. Obi-Wan just brushed off her words, still shaking his head and chuckling as he tightened his belt in place and began to lead the way through the icey tunnels. 

They walked in curious silence, keeping an eye on the paths before and behind them. Since they’d encountered the Nydak, they hadn’t met another creature and their chances were nowhere that good. 

Satine even almost voiced this observation but Obi-Wan quickly hushed her, almost putting a finger to his lips for emphasis claiming that, if either one of them even uttered a word about  _ that, _ they’d be jinxing it. So the two walked, with the same worry on their minds that they refused to voice. And the tunnel continued, on and on, its smooth walls unchanging, revealing no possible side routes or alternative passages, forcing the pair to follow a singular, predetermined path.

Obi-Wan saw the light before Satine pointed it out, her voice instinctively lowering into a whisper. Further away from them, at what proved to be the end of the tunnel, a soft, orange glow outlined the tunnel mouth, luring them to the unknown with its luminescent call. 

Obi-Wan had seen many things since coming to Mandalore, most of which had wished him dead or as their next meal, but never had he described anything as beautiful. The cavern that they walked into was just that. It wasn’t particularly large, Satine would have described it as smaller than the cave which had served as the site of their previous camp, and yet, it felt as if they had walked into a place of real magic. Most of the cavern was taken up by a dark mass of water, its surface so still, it was as if it had never been moved since its formation. Along the edge of the lake, where the water and the earth met, a ring of golden light illuminated the space with its soft light. A coating of mist danced across its surface, giving the place an even more mysterious feel.

Carefully, lightsaber still in one hand, Obi-Wan walked to the edge and knelt, allowing one hand to trace the water’s surface. It was pleasantly warm to the touch, a shocking contrast to the outside air and the golden light swirled around his fingers as he caressed the surface. 

“What is that?” Wondered Satine, as she knelt beside Obi-Wan to look at the lake in interest. 

“Some form of fluorescent algae, I think.” Obi-Wan deduced, as he continued to observe the light dancing around his fingers, intrigued as he felt Force pulsing throughout the whole lake. 

Satine gingerly dipped her own fingers into the water, the sting of its warmth sent an almost painful sensation up her frigid arm. “Geothermal rocks must be keeping it warm- do you think it's drinkable?”

“Our fingers aren’t burning or swelling, so that’s always a good sign.” Obi-Wan answered lightly, dipping his hand deeper into the water and scooping up a small amount. In the glow of his lightsaber he couldn’t see any particles floating within the fluid and, by carefully bringing it to his nose, the liquid emitted no peculiar scents. Seeing that the liquid held nothing particularly noteworthy or dangerous thus far, he brought the fluid to his lips and took a careful sip. 

Satine wanted to protest this carelessness but held her tongue as she saw the Padawan work. He had already proven that the Force protected him from environmental factors like the cold, could it also serve some protection against potential toxins?

“Well?” She asked, as Obi-Wan lowered his hand.

“I think we finally found that water we so desperately needed.” Obi-Wan confirmed. 

Satine looked down at the lake's glowing surface, she could just make out her own reflection, illuminated by the algae’s glow. She could barely recognize the girl who looked up at her, dried blood streaked her face, her eyes looked too big for her sunken face and new lines crossed her brow. The girl in the reflection looked completely different to the one that had been dressed for her betrothal party so many weeks ago she’d now lost count. 

“You should drink.” Obi-Wan coaxed gently, as he noticed the girl refused to move. “For all we know Qui-Gon and the others did find a water source on one of their paths.”

Guilt instantly flared in her stomach, she’d been so caught up in her appearance, Satine had forgotten that Bo-katan and a number of her guards, including Obi-Wan’s master, had entered the tunnel system, based on a map and her calculations, in search of water. Had they risked their lives, each time, for nothing? Her sister could be in danger… or worse… in search for the water she'd stumbled upon by accident.

She could not think like that. Bo-katan was fine, she was a trained warrior, she would not die in those dark caves. Luna was alive, too, she had to be, her youngest sister, so full of light, was not to be buried in the darkness. Even Obi-Wan’s master, Qui-Gon Jinn- he was a Jedi master, Satine had little doubt he’s survived far worse than the fauna of Mandalore. 

“Duchess?” Obi-Wan’s voice was laced with concern when the Duchess didn’t react and he almost stretched out his hand but she reacted before he could do so, cupping her hands and scooping the water, momentarily watching the glowing sections avoid her touch, and brought the liquid to her dry lips. She drank fully, feeling its warmth burn through her insides, warming her core and bringing all her senses back to life. It tasted strange, with a lingering salty aftertaste she couldn’t quite identify however, she continued to drink, allowing the repercussions of her actions to haunt her later.

She scooped up another handful of water, and drank it ravishedly, allowing the warm liquid to trickle down her chin. She would accept this water and she would survive. Just as she was certain her sisters were fighting and surviving, she would do the same, for her people were out there suffering in her name and they would not fall as long as she drew breath. 

“Don’t drink too much, or else you will get cramps.” Warned Obi-Wan as the girl continued to drink. He could sense the turmoil within her, overshadowed by a newfound determination. 

For an indeterminable time that followed, for even in the algae’s light, it was impossible to tell how long they had been by the underground’s lakeside, they inspected the cavern. They discovered a number of tunnels leading into this same area, some smooth and even, much like the one they had traveled in, others rougher, more ragged, the ground clawed out of the way by unknown creatures.

“You’d think, with the number of tunnels leading here, we’d see more fauna.” Mused Obi-Wan but, other than a few worms crawling on the moist surface, he hadn’t seen anything. 

Satine was looking at the lake, her eyes scanning the tunnels. “I’m more curious if one of these tunnels could possibly lead us to the surface.” Then her eyes narrowed, unsure if she was seeing right. “Padawan Kenobi? Does that look like a rope to you?” 

Obi-Wan’s gaze followed the path Satine was pointing at. The dark ceiling of the cavern had been difficult to study, the algae’s glow could barely reach the height but, in the area where the light merged into darkness a limp, unmoving shadow was barely visible. 

Obi-Wan could think of a number of other things that the dangling object could be however, given the lack of flora and machinery, a rope seemed to be the most possible, if bizarre, answer.

“Well, you had said that there should have been a number of villages in the area.” Obi-Wan observed, impressed that the duchess had noticed something so subtle. “We may be standing by an aquifer and that's a rope from a real old fashioned well.”

“So that could, potentially, lead us back to the surface?” Satine concluded, straining her eyes to see where the rope was leading, maybe she'd catch a glimpse of the sky outside. 

“Don’t get your hopes up, Duchess.” Obi-Wan warned. “ It's already a miracle that the rope is still hanging like that, we can only imagine how eroded the outside support is, it may not be able to hold our weight.” But as the Padawan said this, he saw the longing look Satine was directing towards the rope, and he could understand her feelings, this was the closest they’d come to finding a way to the surface. Even he was reluctant to delve back into the maze of tunnels when a solution was dangling a few feet above their heads.

“Well I needed a bath anyway.” He muttered, taking a few, unnoticed, steps backwards .

“What?” But the word barely left Satine’s lips as a wind ruffled her dirtied hair, as Obi-Wan ran past her and leaped over the edge, his brow creased in concentration as he urged the Force under his feet to push him further. He gritted his teeth as he extended his hands, the rope was still too far, he wouldn’t reach it. He urged the Force to help him further, pulling the old rope towards him. The rope whipped forwards him, covering what remained of the distance. Obi-Wan gripped the rope in both hands, swinging over the aquifer as the rope lurched downwards under his weight, giving an ominous crack but, after a moment of slow swinging, the rope did not give way. What he had not anticipated was how the humidity within the cavern had caused a slime to grow upon the rope’s surface. The Padawan tried, desperately, to retain his grip but, the more he struggled, the more he felt himself slipping down. As he reached the end of the rope, feeling the grip of gravity pulling at his gut, he looked up, it was hard to see how wide the path the rope led up to was but, what he could see were a number of uneven lines of light, of actual sunlight, peaking through. 

He hit the water with an echoing crash, forcing Satine to take multiple steps back to avoid getting splashed on. The water churned at the sudden disruption, the algae diffusing from where they had been initially found near the edge as the ripples sent them in different directions. 

Obi-Wan’s head broke the surface, gasping for breath, warm water flowing down his head as he tried to blink it away. His whole body tingled as a result of the sudden shift in temperature. 

“Are you crazy?” She yelled, as the crash of his impact continued to echo around them. 

“It is a way to the surface!” He coughed, as he began to swim towards Satine, ignoring her anger. “If we can find a way to keep our grip, I think it should be able to…”

The remainder of Obi-Wan’s sentence reached Satine’s in a cascade of surprised bubbles as his head disappeared under the surface. 

“Obi-Wan!” She yelled, running towards the edge when he did not resurface. 

_ He is a Padawan! Trained at the Jedi temple, it's impossible he doesn’t know how to swim!” _ She frantically thought as all she could see were bubbles popping on the surface. However, suddenly, the dark water was illuminated by a blue light as she saw the Padawan’s lightsaber ignite underwater, allowing her to see his frantic form, struggling against the water’s friction and slice the blade towards his leg where she could barely see a dark shadow with a scattering of golden flakes, with much the same glow as the algae, gripping his ankle. 

The Padawan kicked as he felt the grip loosen from his ankle as his blade came in contact with whatever that was. The water hissed from the lightsaber, and, although the light gave him some form of vision underwater, a dark ink-like substance filled the water from where he had cut his captor, obscuring his vision. Obi-Wan kicked with all his might, he could feel an agitated energy accumulating below him, closer to the aquifer’s floor, building a current that threatened to pull him deeper. 

His head broke the surface, swimming to the edge even as his lungs begged for air. 

“What’s going on?!” Yelled Satine, kneeling beside the edge and extending a hand to Obi-Wan, who frantically took it and, with little regard of Satine’s still dry status, he pushed himself out of the water, falling all over her in his frantic climb. 

“Hey!” She protested, as he dripped water all over her legs as he struggled onto all fours and, still gasping heavily, he stood on shakey legs to turn his lightsaber towards the lake. Luckily, he hadn’t dawdled within the water. A loud, echoing explosion filled the cavern, showering the two in water as the creature, which presumably had been sleeping undisturbed at the lake’s bottom, erupted through the surface with a gurgling roar. 

_ What in the world is  _ that _!? _

The same thought ran through the minds of the two youths. It looked like some fictional experiment gone horribly wrong. A strange hybrid between a tentacle and waterweed, where the main proportion of the creature's body was translucent, allowing the pair to see the spiderweb of vessels within, which seemed to be pulsing with the same fluorescent algae that floated on the water surface. Two pairs of grey eyes glistened on either side of, what they assumed, was its head. Its beak seemed to be a continuation of its tentacle-like form, covering its wide, jagged mouth which it revealed to release another thunderous roar. 

It whipped forward suddenly, causing Satine to jump sideways and Obi-Wan to flank, raising his lightsaber to attack but, for a horrendous moment, the luminescent blade spluttered, like a candle in the wind. Obi-Wan swore under his breath, Qui-Gon had warned him countless times that his lightsaber was not fitted for underwater combat, he most likely short circuited the power cells. It’d be a simple fix if he weren’t in imminent proximity of a monster that wanted to eat them, again.

Obi-Wan attempted to calm himself, raising his lightsaber as the creature attempted to swing at him again. He sidestepped with the elegance of a dancer, raising his lightsaber, ready to slice down and decapitate the thing. However, as his arms descended, the lightsaber flickered off, causing him to simply swing the empty hilt as it ignited again, singing the underbelly of the creature in a haze of steam form where it touched the wet ground. However, Obi-Wan did not falter as he pivoted on one leg, dodging the creature's retaliation and hoping to stab it, only for the lightsaber to flicker again. He jumped back, almost slipping on the wet surface as the monster reared its head again, the glowing fluid beneath its skin moving more fervently as it became more agitated. 

This was not going to work. 

“Duchess!” He yelled, dragging Satine out of her mesmerised stupor as she watched the elegant way the Padawan fought. “Toss me your blaster!”

“R-Right!” She stammered, struggling with the hook of her belt. The creature shrieked again, a yell that sent ripples across the water’s surface as it whipped towards Satine, causing her to stagger frantically out of its reach and causing the blaster to slip out of her hands and across the ground. She gritted her teeth at her own clumsiness. Obi-Wan had given her one simple job! The creature loomed over the blaster, its four eyes focusing on Satine as its head moved in a serpentine manner, from side to side, momentarily intrigued at the prey that had yet to harm it. 

The creature lifted its tentacle-beak to reveal two rows of circular teeth and mould-scented breath. Its face loomed closer to Satnine’s as she continued to take multiple steps back, only for her to let out a startled squeak when her back collided with the cold wall of the cavern- she had run out of space to escape. 

Obi-Wan’s eye’s fell on the blaster. He ran, falling to the ground as he almost came in contact with the monster’s body. He lowered his head and extended his arm, pulling the blaster with the Force towards him. He aimed the blaster upwards, the translucent underbelly of the creature filling his vision, and shot, not caring where he hit. The creature’s body shot back at the sting of the blaster's shot, shrieking in pain and surprise as Obi-Wan came to a halt, standing before Satine, a blaster in one hand, his deactivated lightsaber in the other. 

The creature roared in outrage, its eyes slowly glowing gold as it retracted its head preparing for the kill. It shot forward, its teeth bared, ready to consume the two nuisances whole.

With a steady hand, Obi-Wan aimed the blaster and pulled the trigger. The creature anticipated the blast, dodging to the side only to be pierced through the bottom of the jaw as Obi-Wan swiftly ignited his lightsaber. The creature shuddered as the weapon pierced all the way through its head and fell to the ground in a heaving mess as the lightsaber flickered out of existence. It trashed slightly, struggling to recapture the life that was slowly draining from it. Decades it had spent in the darkness, using its light to draw prey to their watery demise. Never had the creature imagined, its end would to be brought about by a weapon of light. 

The two held their breaths as the creature’s thrashing slowed and finally halted, its glowing blood spilling from where the lightsaber had pierced, mixing with the water until it was indistinguishable from the algae that had returned to their natural position. 

“It’s finally dead.” Satine sighed, leaning back against the cavern wall in disbelief, almost sliding down as the adrenaline began to ebb away. Obi-Wan lowered his blaster and, carefully, rehooked his malfunctioning lightsaber to his belt. The Padawan was breathing heavily, exhausted from the battle, he could still feel water within his lungs, urging him to cough, to force it out of his system. 

He felt a tug at his sleeve, surprised to see Satine had gripped it to capture his attention. 

“Are you hurt?” He began, as he tried to see her in the darkness.

She shook her head but spoke quietly. “Thank you... Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

The duchess looked him straight in the eyes as she thanked him, her cheeks flushed as she spoke, most likely remnants from the whole ordeal. Thank him for what? The list was only getting longer. He wanted to tell her not to thank him, that he needeth not such things. But as he looked at her, her features illuminated softly in the light, his heart seemed to race again and an unusual, unfamiliar warm feeling swelled in his chest, something he had never felt before and could not find a word to describe.

“It’s my mission.” He finally said, pulling his hand free from her grip gently, his mind still churning from this alien feeling. Was that the first time she’d called him by his name since they met? Not that couldn’t be right… she had called him by his name just minutes ago when the creature first attacked… but had that been the first time? “You don’t need to thank me.”

“Yes… that’s right… your mission.” Satine tried to cover up her disappointment by walking towards the now dead creature. “Do you think it’s the only one?”

“I’d rather not take another dip and find out.” Obi-Wan admitted, shaking his head as he tried to get his emotions in check. 

“What is wrong with your lightsaber?”

“The water.” He said, pointedly, “I’ll fix it once we get out of here.”

“You think it will hold?” Satine asked skeptically, her eyes falling on the rope once again. 

“It has to.” Stated Obi-Wan, also looking up at the rope. “I’m sick and tired of these tunnels.”

“You and me both.” Agreed Satine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to drop and comment and next update will be on Friday :D


	11. Chase

The domed cities of Mandalore were in an uproar. The warrior blood still ran strong within them, even in the civilians who, until the uprising, had chosen to live peaceful, quiet lives. Sides were chosen, some joined with the Mandalorian army, fighting for the peace the Kryes had provided them, most swelling with anger at the news that their previous leader, Korkyie, had been murdered and the rumours that his eldest and heir had been captured, had not sat well. Others joined the usurpers, casting off the chains the Kryes had forced upon them, bringing to the light armour and weapons of old. Once rival clans joined forces for a common goal- the right to shed the blood of those who had wronged them, even if that mainly meant each other. 

Others, a small portion, drew out their old weapons, but not in the name of Old or New Mandalore, but for their homes. Sheltering the elderly and young, they fought off anyone, irrespective of side, that threatened the lives of their family. So frantic were the Mandalorians, keeping their bloodshot eyes on each other, none even looked up at the sky, at the damage that could doom them all. 

However, one single girl looked up. She was too young to be at war, and yet there she was, donning her Mandalorian armour and wearing the clan Wren’s colours with the pride of an elder. She’d felled more warriors then years she had lived and, undoubtedly, by the time this war ended, far more would join her ledger. Nameless men and women, from every aspect of life. On the battlefield-status, gender, age, it mattered nought. If one possessed the tools to survive, then only that person could be deemed a true winner. 

It had been a hard battle for Ursa Wren, her brother had fallen barely an hour before but, in the havoc of blaster fire and explosions, she’d had no time to send him off, for such luxuries had no right on a battlefield, unless she too wished to join him. Catching her breath amongst the rubble of a collapsed shop that may have once sold baked goods, or maybe clothes, she looked up at the sky. A new day was dawning, the sky was stained a deep crimson, the first of many her brother would not see and, as she whispered a brief goodbye, a single tear ran down her cheek. He had died a warrior's death, a honourable death and yet it had done little to ease her pain. As her eyes focused on something the others below were too preoccupied to notice, and, what difference did it make that she now knew of the damage? In the middle of a war, where all is broken, who could spare the time to fix? But her eyes followed the cracks within the dome that had protected the Mandalorians since the end of the old wars, some, had never even lived outside their protection but, even as she sat there, catching her breath, she could see the cracks spread with each ground-shaking explosion.

She was the first to notice the damage but she would not be the last for, far in the horizon, still several hours away, a storm was brewing and their cities would not be able to protect the Mandalorians this time. 

* * *

Several days had passed since Obi-Wan and Satine had climbed out of that ancient well. Never had they basked in Mandalore's sun so thankfully, or tasted its air so sweetly. It was day time when the pair had emerged, Obi-Wan struggling to keep his grip on the rope and Satine, once again clung to his neck, unable to do much else. He thrust forwards with the Force, pushing away the stone seal that blocked the well mouth and the two collapsed on the sandy ground, not caring that the irritating granules were getting everywhere. They savoured their new found freedom, though the darkness of the caves would still haunt them, for a few moments it was forgotten, as was the fear of being discovered by rebels flying overhead. 

The village they had stumbled upon was nothing more than a ruined husk of its old self. Almost buried within the sand that had berated it over the years, the old stone buildings were eroded to an almost abnormal smoothness. Whole walls and buildings crumbled, their remains almost indistinguishable to the same sand that had consumed them. Lichens spread across what remained, the ancient fungus the only living thing in this desolate remains.

Obi-Wan and Satine spent the few days they resided in the unnamed village in one of the only buildings whose roof provided some form of cover. It had once been a two storey building, but the sands had risen to almost fully engulf the lower floor. They had even tried to canvass the area but it had been many years since any form of sentient being had visited the area and most that had been left behind had perished with time. However, although the village could provide little more then shelter, thanks to their discovery in the tunnels they now had water and, although Satine despised their taste, the ration cubes Obi-Wan shared sated their hunger.

One thing that had not changed since leaving the tunnels was that the Duchess and Padawan were still hopelessly lost. Apart from having no indication of how long they had wondered the tunnels, they had no inkling of the direction they had traveled either. Thanks to the rising and setting of the sun they could determine the basic directions but it was only through identifying the stars did they have any idea of where they could go. 

The old maps of Satine’s grandfather would have been pricelessly useful in that situation but, unfortunately, like much of their belongings, they had been left at the camp. However Satine, similarly to how she had done whilst mapping the tunnels, worked tirelessly to map the stars during the night, using the changing position of the constellations, and those that did not move, to get their bearings and of which direction to go. 

However Satine’s confidence had faltered, their discovery of the aquifer had proven that her knowledge was flawed, that her planet was very different from her studies. She had also become painfully aware of how useless she was in situations where her life was at risk, it actually seemed, at times, she caused more trouble than was necessary. She often would grudgingly think, if it weren’t for Obi-Wan, she would have perished long ago.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Obi-Wan called, leaning his back against a wall of a half ruined house. They had found an old stone basin amongst the remains and, although two of the four walls had collapsed, it had proven a suitable place to bathe and wash their clothing. 

“Don’t you dare look.” Satine called, as she used the shirt she’d worn under her jacket to dab away the dried blood from her face, along with the dirt and grime that had built up across her body. The water was cold and it stung each time it came in contact with an injury she had no idea she’d acquired, and yet it was refreshing to actually feel clean once again. She ran her hands through her wet hair, struggling to remove the tangles that had grown into it.

“I always wonder why women take so long to prepare themselves.” Obi-Wan casually commented, looking up at the sky, keeping watch as he spoke. “The female Padawans and even the masters back at the temple take impressively long at times.”

“I assure you, Obi-Wan, you took just as long to get ready this morning.” She countered, remembering her agonising wait in the hot morning sun.

“I also had more layers of clothing to clean and dry.” He reminded her, tugging at the cream coloured Padawan tunic he wore. Although he’d removed much of the grime, the stains had stubbornly remained, it would never return to its original colour and he could do little about the damage it had acquired, he was not good at needlework. “You are very welcome, by the way.”

Satine rolled her eyes as, finally satisfied with her state of cleanliness, she rinsed out her shirt and set it to dry over the wall with her guard’s uniform and turned her attention to the garments Obi-Wan had offered her.

“I feel foolish.” She complained some time later as she emerged wearing the dark brown cloak Obi-Wan usually wore but had recently cleaned. It was obviously a few sizes too big, its sleeves extending past Satine’s arms and it was so broad she could comfortably wrap it around her body, which she tied, several times, around her waist to keep in place. 

“You wear the uniform of a Padawan well.” Obi-Wan observed, there was no malice in his voice but Satine still felt self conscious as she tugged at the edge of the cloak, although it reached her calves she still felt exposed. 

“Very funny.” She muttered as she marched towards Obi-Wan, her boots sinking into the sand. “But it does feel very good to be somewhat clean again.”

“Trust me, the smell was getting so bad it was competing with the nydak.” Joked Obi-Wan, earning him a playful yet annoyed nudge from Satine.

“You were no bouquet of flowers yourself.” The Duchess countered quickly, causing the Padawan to laugh.

“Well, the two of us should savour this while we can, tonight we leave this place to find the camp.”

“Provided my calculations are right.” Satine chided herself.

“Well I trust them.” Rebuked Obi-Wan, giving her a confident smile which made her feel a little better and wondered why he didn’t do so more. He had a rather charming smile which he covered well with his brooding and serious expression. She then looked up at the sky, although it was still warm, a thick layering of clouds had begun to suffocate the blue, coating every inch with its pale grey blanket. 

“I just hope we make it there before the rains start.”

“So you keep saying.” Observed Obi-Wan, also looking at the sky, he half wondered if it was because of the brewing storm that they hadn’t seen so many ships scouting the area. “How bad can a Mandalorian storm be?”

“There is a reason why our cities have domes.” She ominously said as a cool breeze gently swept past her, ruffling her wet hair and causing her to pull the cloak tighter around her. “But as long as the winds remain we should be safe for a few more days.”

* * *

“Well it would seem your directions were spot on, Duchess.” Obi-Wan whispered, pressing his chest against the warm sand, struggling to keep his eyes open as the winds continued to pick up. The sky had now become coated in an impenetrable layer of black cloud, it seems the rains Satine had warned him could start the moment the wind calmed. “Pity it seems the Usurpers found this place too.”

Satine bit her lip as she, too, peered over the sand dune’s peak observing with contempt the two individuals who were standing between them and the opening to their old camp. “Seems they brought some bounty hunters into the mix.” She sighed, as she recognised alien forms beneath armour, lanky in stature with pale green skin. The two bounty hunters worked with little regard to the noise they made, one was scanning the area with a machine, most likely looking for the remnants of tracks or footprints. The other was looking down at where their camp had once been hidden, shaking his head. Even from where they hid Obi-Wan could see that the crevice they had initially used to climb into the camp had totally collapsed leaving in its place a massive crater. The chances of anyone surviving the collapse were painfully slim.

The same thought seemed to have crossed Satine’s mind as she looked at Obi-Wan with a creased brow.

“What should we do?” She murmured, looking towards him for answers, a part of her desperately wanted to go check for her sister, even if she were just a body but, the more reasonable part of her was urging her to get away from the camp and bounty hunters, to look for shelter while they still could, if they got too close to the camp they’d be exposed. 

The Padawan was trying to think strategically. He had not anticipated that the rebels would have called on Bounty Hunters to aid them, most likely it was the same ploy Satine had used when she’d called the Jedi Council for aid, to anticipate the unexpected.

“My master made it very clear that I was to take you to our ship and get you off the planet,”Obi-Wan explained.

“Well, we are here now.” Satine countered, rolling her eyes at the Padawan, always such a stickler for rules and orders. 

“That is also true.” Obi-Wan agreed, “And I believe it would be folly not to learn what we can while we are here, that is, if we have time?”

Satine looked up at the sky, the wind was still blowing, which was in their favour. 

“I’d say we have time if the wind stays as is.” She explained, making the calculation. “But we must find shelter before that though, the winds are fickle and could vanish in an instant.”

“Is the virus really that bad?” 

Satine had explained the situation back at the village. During the old Wars one of the Madolorian clans of the time had attempted to utilise a bioweapon, something they could release with minimal damage and maximal casualties. However, when they released it into the environment, it had mutated and evolved, its devastating disease turning upon its creaters to become a scourge of this land. Originally an airborne pathogen it couldn’t survive the hot temperatures on the surface but now it resided within the upper atmosphere, coming to the surface with the rain. It couldn’t live on the surface for long, not even in a water body, however humanoids were highly susceptible and death was unavoidable within a few hours of contact.

“It is one of the 10 worse diseases to die from.” She explained. “Imagine your own cells attacking themselves, each a tiny warrior dead-set on killing you.”

“Great thing your ancestors created,” Sarcastically said Obi-Wan. “Let’s try not get killed then, shall we?”

“I thought that was our motto.” Agreed Satine. 

“Well it doesn't hurt to say it out-loud every now and again.”

The pair crept silently around the dune, taking particular care of where the two bounty hunters were looking. They seemed to be two male Kyuzo, in garbs of white and broad brimmed hats, revealing only their pupil-less orange eyes as they continued to inspect the area. Each Kyuzo was armed with a long spear-like weapon and they were speaking as their machines continued to scan for something, but the strong winds drowned their words. Not too far from where the bounty hunters stood, a pair speeders were parked, their cream coloured plating reinforced by mismatching pieces of metal, a makeshift missile blaster was attached at the front of each one. 

Obi-Wan carefully led the way around the dune, gesturing for Satine to stay low as they used the uneven sand to try and conceal their presence, walking towards the speeders, their bulky forms may be able to provide them with some more cover. However, as Obi-Wan’s movement slowed he could see no way how they could get to the cave without being seen. Maybe if they stayed until nightfall they might have been able to sneak past but the Padawan was not eager to wait out the day with Mandolore’s deadly rain showers in the forecast. 

Satine tapped his shoulder, catching his attention as she pointed towards her ears, gesturing to him to try to listen. Obi-Wan could barely hear anything against the wind but Satine had her eyes closed, focusing on each word she could capture. Obi-Wan attempted to listen again, his eyes closing as he tried to block out the background noise of wind and sifting sands. He held his breath as he slowly began to make out the low voices of the tow Kyuzo. 

“...Are still nothing.” One was saying.

“We are wasting our time here.” The other growled, as he frustratedly kicked the ground. “We should have questioned the hostages, better.”

“Hostages!” Mouthed Satine, but Obi-Wan raised a hand to silence her, still struggling to listen.

“Any more of a beating and they would have told us anything to make us stop.” 

“I’m sure Bane got more information out of them.”

“Oh stop your whining! If you want to team up with the great Cad Bane head back to Keldabe on your own.”

“At least Cad Bane would appreciate my expertise! He’d know better that the duchess would have tried to escape off the planet by now! Scout the ports…”

“And I've been trying to get it through your thick head. Sundari is where she’d go! It's one of the only cities that the Pacifists still have! She’d think she’s safe and sound over there.”

“Obi-Wan.” Satine hissed but the Padawan silenced her again. 

From what he could understand from the conversation, this location had been compromised and hostages had been captured, then that would mean some of their people had survived.

Now the real question was, who? Even as he struggled to listen Obi-Wan couldn’t sense any survivors in the cave below and the tunnels were out of the question from this distance.

Had Luna’s group somehow survived the cave-in only to be captured by the rebels? Or had it been Qui-Gon’s or Bo’s groups? Emerging form the tunnels only to find the camp destroyed and the rebels waiting?

“Obi-Wan Kenobi!” Satine hissed even more instantly.

“What?!” He answered loudly, irritated. 

“The wind’s stopped.” She said simply, her brief statement filling him with dread. If the winds had stopped, the rains would soon begin.

“We need to find shelter.” Obi-Wan said frantically, looking around but, unless they were hoping to bury themselves in the sand there wasn’t much to work with. 

“We could try to get to the tunnels.” Satine began but Obi-Wan quickly stopped her.

“The tunnels may have been blocked after last time, and we can’t risk getting lost in them again.”

“Okay then, what about your ship?” Satine prodded, her mind racing. 

“It should still be hidden.” Obi-Wan agreed. “But it's too far, we won’t make it in time.“

“Not if we steal one of those.” Satine explained, pointing at speeders around the other side of the sand dune. 

“You make it sound easy enough when I’m the one doing all the fighting.” Obi-Wan hissed back.

“Are you two done over there?” The mocking voice of one of the Kyuzo brought their argument to an instant halt.

“No use being quiet now, we know you’re behind that dune.” The other Kyuzo called as Obi-Wan cautiously nodded his head at Satine and began to stand.

“We’re sorry to interrupt… but we got a little lost.” Obi-Wan said with a nervous smile, raising his hands to show he was unarmed. 

“A little far to be lost don’t you think, Kree?” The taller Kyoza commented, pointing his spear at Obi-Wan.

“No use hiding, we know there are two of you.” Yelled Kree as he, alongside his partner, walked carefully towards the pair as Satine also rose out of her hiding place, arms raised. 

“Lookie here, Thanus, I believe this is the little Duchess we were  _ just _ talking about.” Kree moved his spear away from Obi-Wan and towards Satine’s chest. The other Kyuzo, Thanus, brought the small holloprojector that he wore around his wrist closer to his face as a small image of a much cleaner Satine appeared. 

Thanus brought his spear under Satine’s chin, forcing the duchess to lift her head as she glared at the pair who continued to compare her to the image. 

“By the stars! A little wear and tear but they got the same highbred nose and pampered eyes- it must be her!”

“If you think I’Il let you take me to those fiends.” She growled, causing the two Kyuzo to chuckle. 

“What do you think you can do?” Thanus laughed, sneering as he brought his face closer to hers.

“It's not what I can do.” Satine answered, her voice unwavering as she felt the point of his weapon pressing painfully against her chest. “It's what  _ he _ can do.”

And as if on cue Obi-Wan unhooked his lightsaber and ignited it, slicing Kree’s weapon in two pieces, silently thankful he’d remembered how to repair his lightsaber after its embarrassing short circuit near the aquifer. 

“Very dramatic entrance, thank you Duchess.” Obi-Wan observed, taking his position between her and her assailants.

“Jedi.” Hissed the two Kyoza, jumping back, Kree bringing out two blasters that had been hanging at his belt and pointed the weapons at him. Obi-Wan raised his lightsaber over his head defensively, ready to deflect.

“Padawan,” he corrected, taking a step towards the pair, who took a step back, keeping their distance. “If I were a full Jedi, you wouldn’t be standing.”

“Oh? So we got ourselves a little apprentice? What harm can he do?” Thanis asked, regaining some confidence at learning that Obi-Wan was not a Jedi.

“Oh, want to find out?” And without further provocation Obi-Wan leaped forward, bringing his lightsaber down as Kree began shooting. He deflected the blasts with ease, aiming them back at their owners who danced on the spot to try and avoid the backfiring shots, the panic clear in their eyes. But Thanus lunged forward, his spear raised to cut Obi-Wan in half but the Kyuzo's weapon wasn’t a match for the lightsaber, as it too got sliced in half. 

Thanus swore rather colourfully, causing a snarky smile to spread across Obi-Wan’s face, these two may have been bounty hunters but they didn’t feel all that threatening. It felt good to practice his sword skills against something that didn’t want to eat him.

“C’mon Obi-Wan!” Satine yelled from near one of the speeders, having taken the opportunity to acquire their escape vehicle while the Kyuzo had been preoccupied with him. 

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, he wanted to fight the bounty hunters a little longer but he knew that the rains would start any moment now. So, lightsaber still in hand, he ran towards Satine as Kree and Thanus ran after him, sending shot after shot, some directed at him, some at Satine, who barely dodged them as she sat on the speeder and began to adjust the flight setting to her requirements.

“Can you fly this thing?” Obi-Wan yelled, as the berate of blaster shots increased, the Kyuzo not liking the fact one of their rides was being hijacked.

“I take it you can’t?” Satine yelled, revving the engine to life. “Can you deflect their blasts while I drive?” 

“Easy enough.” Obi-Wan said, seating himself behind Satine as the duchess, not wanting the bounty hunters to step in her way, pressed the gas pedal as hard as she could and began to speed away.

“Do you know where we have to go!?” Yelled Obi-Wan, holding on tightly with one hand around her waist, his lightsaber still in the other.

“You focus on keeping our pursuers off us.” She yelled over the wind, her hair flying wildly as she struggled slightly with the steering. “Who do you think gave you the coordinates of where to land?”

Her father had had an almost childish obsession with regard to vehicles and Satine had spent many hours in his tutelage of how they functioned. Although the topic had somewhat bored her, she had savoured the time for it was on those rare occasions that they could speak as father and daughter and not duke and marquee. Never, however, had she suspected her father had ever expected her to use what he’d taught her in actual practice. 

Behind them the Kyuzo were chasing them with a visible fury, their green faces acquiring an orange tinge as the one driving, Thanus, was taking aim with the launcher attached to the front of the vehicle as Kree continued to berate them with blaster shots. 

Satine swerved savagely to the side, trying to avoid something that lay in their path. Two bodies, wearing the uniform of the Duchess’s guard, were lying face down in a blanket of sand. Creatures of the sand had already begun to eat at their flash, small worms crawling over their skin. These must have been the sentries Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had encountered the day they had arrived, the dried blood in the sand told them little of who were the culprits but did not paint a pretty picture of what had unfolded.

“Swerve!” Obi-Wan yelled as he saw the light of the explosion as the missile left the weapon. Satine moved to the side in a flurry of sand, as the ground behind them exploded in a wave of heat. Obi-Wan bit his lip as he deactivated his lightsaber and held on to Satine. He didn’t like being useless but, against a missile launcher like that, it would be better if they focus on steering out of its way, then trying foolishly to block it.

“Osik!” Cursed Satine, most likely the first time Obi-Wan had ever heard such a term leave her lips. The Padawan looked past Satine, trying to see what had caused her to say something so vulgar, he could barely make out his ship, although half buried, it seemed to still be in one piece. But he did see it as much as feel it, a single drop of rain hit his forehead, trickling down the side of his cheek innocently as it carried within it a virus that could kill them. 

The rains had finally begun

The bounty hunters did not seem to have any qualms about rain, it flew into their faces as they drove, shooting at Satine and Obi-Wan without rest. 

Satine was internally freaking out, the rain was really pouring now, soaking through her clothes until she was practically bathing in the virus infected water. She gulped as she tried to keep herself calm. 

Was that an inch across her arm?

She had read about the virus, the Scourge they called it. One could become contaminated by coming in contact with freshly fallen rain containing the virus, it entered though the skin. Within a few minutes of infection clinical signs could show and no one was known to have survived more than a day after contamination. 

An irritating itch kept spreading across her arms but Satine tried to shake it of. Pseudo Symptoms she told herself, even if she and Obi-Wan were infected that was no excuse for her to lose her head. They had to escape the bounty hunters and reach the ship, the virus wouldn’t kill them before that. 

Though there was no cure for the virus.

“Eyes on the road!” Yelled Obi-Wan as rain ran down his face, as Satine swiveled roughly to one side.

“Where is your ship!” Spat Satine as the rain flew into her mouth, causing her to shudder.

“It should be around...dodge!” Obi-Wan yelled as he saw one of the bounty hunters sent a missile their way. Obi-Wan’s sudden yell caused Satine to turn more aggressively then she had intended, she dodged the missile, which crashed into the ground beside them, showering them in a barrage of sand, water and a muddy hybrid. The turn however had been too sharp for the speeder, it spiralled out of control. No matter how hard she tugged on the wheel or pressed the break she could not regain control and, as the vehicle tilted so badly the riders were almost perpendicular to the ground Satine realised the only way they would escape this would be either pinned under the vehicle or thrown a dangerous distance away, given the speed they were traveling at. 

Obi-Wan must have realised what was happening as he yelled into her ear. “Let go!”

Satine didn’t question his words as she released her grip on the steering feeling both his hands tighten themselves around her waist as he kicked against that leg rest, sending both Satine and himself spiralling into the sand at a neck break speed. 

The coarse sand scraped across her bare skin, causing each new cut to burn instantly but somehow, as she struggled to her feet, Obi-Wan gripping her wrist to force her disorientated self to run, no bones had been broken. Had that been a trick of the Force?

The bounty hunters however had had a disagreement, Thanus had been aiming a shot at Satine and Obi-Wan as they ran across the desert, while Kree forced the steering to sweere to the side, trying to dodge the now riderless speeder that was still spiralling. The two Kyuzo jumped with barely enough time to escape the explosion. Unfortunately they seemed to be relatively intact, though both had lost their hats in the fall and they were already pursuing the duchess and Padawan, blasters pointed at them as they tried to aim.

“There it is!” Obi-Wan yelled, relief putting more speed in his step. By some miracle Qui-Gon’s ship was still where they had landed, the sand coloured cloak having acquired a layer of sand which was now pooling with water. “We are almost there!”

However the Kyuzo had also seen the ship and, fearing their bounty was going to escape they gave up on aiming and just decided to shoot. 

Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber deflecting the blasts, the rain causing steam to surround the sapphire blade. The Padawan continued to run as he did this, deflecting each shot as they made their way to the small ship. 

Obi-Wan practically crashed into the haul door, frantically tapping the keypad to input the code. Never had the Padawan been so happy to hear the metal screeching of the old spaceship’s door, he almost ran in before he realised that Satine had made no move and was just staring, fixated, at a point behind them. It was also then, through the pounding sound of raining hitting the ship, that he realised that the blaster fire had stopped. 

Obi-Wan turned, unable to even anticipate the sight that awaited him. The Kyuzo were on the ground, their arms pulling them forwards, reaching out for help. From the corner of their eyes tears of blood mixed with the still pouring rain, one, Kree, was spasming beside his brother, a bloody froth filling his mouth. Thanus continued to pull against the sand, but his motions began to become more ragged, spasms interrupting his motions. He opened his mouth to say something, to ask for help? To curse the duchess? But all that escaped his mouth was froth, gagging his words.

Obi-Wan gently grabbed Satine’s elbow, forcing himself to look away from the macabre sight that was unfolding before them. The duchess followed and yet found herself unable to look away from the bounty hunters, their bodies finally going rigid and then limp as the last of their life was washed away with the same rain that had brought their death. 

The same rain that covered Obi-Wan and herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's another chapter poster! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and feel free to drop a comment, next update comes out Tuesday :D


	12. Request

“Pacing is not going to help the situation.” Obi-Wan calmly said from where he sat in the pilot’s seat, watching the duchess walk up and down the small ship. Sitting on the ground, looking curiously up at him, were little herbivorous creatures with long ears who must have snuck aboard the day Qui-Gon had returned for the resources. Obi-Wan just shrugged at the little creatures as they tilted their head in intrigue, returning their attention to the walking girl. 

“Neither did showering or changing our clothes.” Complained Satine, each step she made causing a metallic echo. During the lukewarm shower she’d taken, Satine had rubbed her skin almost raw, leaving unpleasant red patches which she hastily covered up in the extra Padawan uniform Obi-Wan had offered her, deciding they’d burn the infected clothes somehow.

“Well if we managed to escape the infection, better to take precautions.” Deduced Obi-Wan calmly. “And we wouldn't want the Duchess of Mandalore to catch a cold.”

“A cold would be the least of our troubles if we were infected by the Scourge.” Satine’s hands moved frantically as she walked. If it weren’t for the whole situation, Obi-Wan would have found her motions quite amusing, though he had to admit that she wore the Padawan uniform well.

Obi-Wan frowned to himself and shook his head, dispelling the unusual thought from his mind when he realised Satine had stopped her pacing and had asked him a question.

“Sorry?” He sheepishly answered.

“From what you said, can you not catch a cold? Or get sick for that matter?” 

“The Force keeps us safe from most diseases. Never had a sick day in my life.”

Satine rolled her eyes and resumed her pacing. “Of course it does.” 

“Isn’t it a good sign that we aren’t crying blood or foaming at the mouth?” Insisted Obi-Wan, remembering the corpses lying in the rain water outside their ship.

“Symptoms should begin almost immediately though they may take up to an hour to begin manifesting.” Satine quoted without fail. “Though now that I know mr hot-shot-Force-wielder is most likely to be immune to the thing, I'm the only one who could possibly manifest symptoms, then it's downhill from here.”

“Then what do we say we do?” Obi-Wan sighed, understanding how terrifying it may feel to think you are dying and not have anything you can do to stop it. “Is there a cure?”

But Satine curtly shook her head. “No cure and we can’t even go anywhere with this storm, though a hospital or doctor wouldn't be much help.”

“This ship can get us through hyperspace, I'm sure it can withstand a storm…” Began Obi-Wan, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a solution. There were healers back at the temple, he’d seen them bring back Jedi on the brink of death, would they be able to do the same for Satine? But it would take more rotations than Satine had to get there. This feeling of hopelessness was a new feeling for the Padawan and not one he particularly liked. 

Satine sighed and took a seat beside Obi-Wan where the co-pilot usually sat. She smiled sadly at the little creatures as they practically hopped towards her, their fur was the colour of sand and it looked interestingly soft, their faces tiny compared to their ears. Satine was always fond of the side of Mandalore that did not wish to kill the rest of the planet's inhabitants.

Obi-Wan was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing him to raise his head, to see Satine’s pale eyes looking at him. They looked strangely soft and kind, although tired after all the duchess had been through.

“Don’t beat yourself up over this, Obi-Wan.” Satine said, trying for the same soft smile she had given to the creatures, she’d never thought that the Padawan would look distraught at her possible demise. “You did not fail your mission.”

It was kind of disappointing that Satine thought he felt this way simply because it would mean he failed his mission, but then Obi-Wan was a Jedi in training, forbidden from earthly attachment so that must be the reason why he felt this way. 

“We never even made it to the peace negotiations.” He joked, trying for a reassuring smile. 

“Yeah, we spent all that time running from crazy monsters.”

“Or dying of thirst.”

“Or almost freezing to death.”

“Though that wasn’t the worst thing we dealt with.” Obi-Wan laughed remembering how the two had sat side by side.

“Speak for yourself!” Jumped Satine, “if either of my sisters ever found out about  _ that _ , they’d never let me live it down.”

The two couldn’t help laugh at her outburst. They let the laughter extend a little longer, savouring each other’s company a little more as they did so. Although they had had a rocky start, and they still got on each other's nerves at times, they had been through too much to claim their relationship was still simply that of a guard and his employer. Though neither one would say it out-loud, their pride still prevented them from saying such things, they had become friends.

When the laughter finally died down, the little critters running around the chairs in excitement at hearing such unusual sounds coming from the satinets, Satine’s voice took a more serious yet somehow far off voice.

“Would you find them? My sisters, I mean?'' This was a request from a dying girl. “I know it's asking a lot but would you find Luna and Bo-Katan? Find your master as well? Get them off this planet? Keep them safe?”

Obi-Wan nodded his head in understanding, even on death’s door, the duchess’s final request was not selfish, still thinking of her family and himself till the end.

“Of course, Duchess.”

* * *

After a few hours of waiting for death to come, and Satine not dying, it made both the Duchess and Padawan wonder if they had somehow made a mistake about the Scourge virus in the rain.

“Not that I’m complaining, much, but how are you still alive?” Obi-Wan asked after several hours. The rains were still pouring outside, the heavy droplets leaving loud pounding sounds, like running feet, across the ship. 

Satine tentatively touched her face again, trying to feel for the bloody tears she’d anticipated to run. “It doesn’t make sense,” She murmured, as she felt the dryness of her cheeks. “The Scourge is most definitely in the rain…”

“Yeah those Kyuzo won’t argue with you.” Commented Obi-Wan, remembering the fallen bounty hunters outside. 

“I should be dead by now.” Satine repeated, shaking her head, night had fallen outside, it had been way too many hours. “Or at least showing symptoms.”

Obi-Wan shrugged, rising to sit on the bunk beside her. The ship wasn’t particularly built for comfort. The navigation system was at the very front followed by a short corridor which doubled at a sleeping quarters, with a bench-like bed lining each wall. This eventually led to a very basic cooking area (which the master and Padawan had never actually used) and a storage area which held far less resources then the last time Obi-Wan had boarded the ship. 

He tried to give her an encouraging smile but he was as baffled about the whole situation as she was. Although he’d had some doubts, he’d always known that the Force would somewhat protect him from the virus, though he hadn’t liked testing that out. Maybe something else was protecting Satine and he couldn’t help feel grateful to whatever that was. 

“The Force works in mysterious ways.” He mused as Satine sighed, her own emotions having exhausted her. The Scourge was a thing of nightmares ever since she was a child and, having been exposed to it and coming to terms with her death and now their apparent survival? It was giving her a migraine. Satine found herself leaning slightly on Obi-Wan besides her, enjoying his presence, her relief unquestionable. 

“So what’s the plan now?” She finally asked, she had not anticipated having to think of any future plans ever again.

“Well your not-so-dying wish had been for me to find yours sisters.” He chuckled, earning him a disapproving glare from the girl. “If the bounty hunters’ words are anything to go on they may be at the capital.”

“Hostages.” Satine remembered from the bounty hunters’ conversation.

Obi-Wan nodded his head. “We should at least find out who these hostages are.”

“But how would we get in?” Satine quickly asked, her thoughts racing as she tried to think, causing the pain in her head to intensify. 

“We’ll come up with a plan in the morning.” Finally decided Obi-Wan, “you look like death.”

“Pun not appreciated.” She complained but the youth stood up, forcing her to look up at him.

“I’ll keep a lookout.” He continued, though he smiled at her words. “Rest for now.”

Satine wanted to protest, to say he was most likely as exhausted as she was but he silenced her when she felt one of his hands touch her cheek, and linger there a little longer then she knew how to react to. 

Then the Padawan’s hand fell away and he turned to take his seat in the captain's chair, looking out the front window at the darkness and rain. 

Satine raised a slow hand to her cheek, she could still feel the warmth of his touch and the thought just caused her cheeks to flare red. She wanted to scold him, that he shouldn’t be touching her face like that but when, a quiet little voice inside Satine asked,  _ did it really bother her that much?  _ She grumpily laid onto the bed she’d claimed as her own, turning her back on the passageway and Obi-Wan, curling herself into a ball as she forced herself to sleep. Scolding that little voice in her head as she did so.

* * *

Satine woke up with a start, to see a pair of large beady eyes peeking over the edge of the bed. The little creatures looked at her curiously, their small noses twitching rapidly as they sniffed her face. She cautiously sat up, not wanting to startle them, stretching her arms slightly. The bunk wasn’t comfortable but it was most likely the best sleep she’d had since this whole ordeal had begun and most likely the longest, she realised in surprise as she noticed the bright light streaming through the front view window.

Why hadn’t the Padawan woken her? Had he stood watch all through the night? However, as her eyes fell on the little of his form she could see, seated in the captain’s seat, much in the same way he had been when she’d fallen asleep, she realised he might have unintentionally dozed off.

As she quietly got out of bed and covered the little distance between the passageway and the cockpit, the little creatures she decided to call Zini, for the little sounds they made when they washed their large ears, she realised that the situation was more of the latter than the former. Obi-Wan was seated in the chair, his head tilted sideways, his eyes closed in sleep. It was peculiar watching the Padawan sleep, when awake he was constantly alert, analysing a situation or even just passing an irritating comment. But asleep, and in the late morning light, he looked surprisingly young, a shocking realisation that the Padawan was Satine’s own age, barely considered an adult in some cultures and yet having gone through training far harsher than she ever had, or will. 

When she had asked Obi-Wan about the Jedi he had called them peacekeepers but when she saw him fight, when she had seen the scars across his body, they weren’t the marks of simple peacekeepers, but of warriors and someone trained to bear that mantle.

“Obi-Wan.” She whispered, reluctant to wake the youth, break the moment and probably earn herself some irking comment. 

But other than letting out a shuddering breath the Padawan did not react.

“Obi-Wan.” She repeated more insistent this time, placing her hand on his shoulder to shake him, her fingers brushed against his cheek and she pulled her hand back at the sudden heat. Was he burning up? She hadn't noticed in the white morning light, but his cheeks seemed far rosier than usual and, as she placed one hand on his forehead and another against her own head, there was no doubt that he had a fever. 

“What are you doing, master?” Obi-Wan, complained his words slurred as he pushed Satine’s hand away.

“Obi-Wan you have to wake up!” She commanded with more force this time, shaking both his shoulders more aggressively.

“Duchess?” He finally slurred, his eyes fluttering open as he sat up straighter in his chair seeing the duchess bent over him in concern.

“You’ve got a fever.” She stated, already running through the scenarios of what should be done. Keeping the Padawan warm and in one place would be ideal but something told Satine that this wasn’t some simple cold as a result of being stuck in the rain.

“Nonsense!” Obi-Wan said, sitting up even straighter and jutting out his chin. “I never get sick.”

“Well you are now.” Satine commented, crossing her arms.

“But I told you, the Force keeps me well…has anyone ever told you your hair looks like strands of sunlight?”

“Well you must have contracted something the Force couldn’t fight off.” She countered, trying to ignore the comment about her hair, he must have been hallucinating, or the sickness was making him lucid. “Like the Scourge.”

“Nonsense!” He yelled again. “I am fit as a Blartree Blossom.” He tried to stand but staggered sideways, grabbing onto Satine to steady himself. 

“You definitely are not fine.” She insisted. “What if the Scourge affects you differently because of the Force?”

“I’m telling you, I’m not sick!” Obi-Wan slurred.

“And I'm telling you, you are!” Satine yelled. The small family of Zini that had made the ship their home moved their heads from side to side, following the argument like it was some interesting game of ball. “Now lie down on a bunk, you will stay warm and I will see what resources are on this ship that can help.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to complain but Satine glared and pointed to the bunk opposite the one she had rested in. The Padawan drooped his head in defeat as, on still shaky feet, he made his way to the bunk. He sat on it, cross legged as Satine tossed him a blanket from an overhead compartment. He wrapped himself in it, the zini tucking themselves under the warm blanket, their eye peeking from under the edge.

“Now stay.” She repeated. “While I'll look for medicine.”

“Has anyone ever told you are very enticing when you order people around?” Obi-Wan asked. 

Satine chose not to answer again, ignoring his comments as she headed to the back of the ship where medication and food were stored.

There wasn’t much for her to work with. It seemed that when she had sent Xak and Qui-Gon to pick up supplies they had taken far more than she had intended, though she found something that should aid with the fever, if this really was the Scourge, it would only aid with the symptoms. Some decent food that didn’t come out of a nutrient cube would also be very helpful, remembering the soups her mother used to make her when she was sick. Although the Jedi and Padawan did have a small kitchenette on the ship, the layer of dust that coated the counter told her they were not that fond of cooking. 

Satine returned to the bunk some minutes later, the medication in one hand, and a bowl of water and a cloth in the other, these should at least help with the fever. If Luna were here, she’d probably have a better solution considering all the medical books she’d read but Satine had to work with what she was taught and what her youngest sister had drilled into her during one of her many overexcited conversations.

Obi-Wan’s retching coughs could be heard throughout the whole ship and when she walked towards him, he was rubbing at his mouth. The Zini were looking up at Obi-Wan, one was looking up at the Padawan as one of his ears escaped the blanket. They gave off annoyed squeeks however, and dug deeper into the blanket as Satine sat at Obi-Wan’s side. 

“I’m telling you I’m not sick.” He instantly told her.

“And I’m the Queen of Naboo.” She chided, placing the bowl between them and carefully soaking the clothes in the water.

“But-but you are the Duchess of Mandalore.” However Obi-Wan said that uneasily as if she had forced him to have doubts.

“Yes, yes I am.” Satine reassured him, double thinking her teasing for the time being as she placed the cloth on his forehead. 

“We are wasting time!” He began, making to stand, causing the cloth to fall off his head, alongside the blanket. “We should get to Keldabe, we could learn more about the hostages.”

“We should be focusing on your recovery.” Satine insisted. Obi-Wan was an annoyingly stubborn patient, it was fortunate he did not get sick on a normal basis. She collected the wet cloth and placed it back in his head. She tried to guide him into a lying position but he stubbornly wanted to stay sitting, so she just let him rest with his back to the wall.

“I’m fine!” He was saying again, though no matter how many times he said it, it didn’t sound any better. 

Satine was about to reprimand him again as she brought the blanket to wrap him in, only to see dark, fresh looking stains on the material. Satine’s whole body felt cold, was that blood? 

She actually asked the patient, who denied it vehemently though his pleas were cut short by another series of retching coughs. The zini tucked themselves once again into the blanket at the horrible, painful sound. When Obi-Wan finally stopped, his breathing hoarse, Satine could see a trickle of blood running down the side of his chin which he wiped away just as quickly. 

However it was too late, she had seen it.

She had been right, this was no normal fever, this was the Scourge.

The medication she had found in the haul would be useless against it, and with a frightening thought she realised- no medication in the galaxy could cure it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Feel free to drop a review, next chapter should be out Friday :D


	13. Doubt

The fighting at Sundari had halted, momentarily. The rains had done that. Although the traditional Mandalorian armour was said to withstand the virus, after so many weeks of combat no piece of armour had been left intact and none wished to test their integrity, though the blood-tear stained corpses on the ground indicated that many had tried to fight on, only to fall to the Scourge.

The new Mandalorians had retreated back into the domed city, a section of the wall threatening to collapse, while the rebels camped several meters away. The ground surrounding Sundari was littered with explosives which continued to be replenished by some underground mechanisms and the automated turrets at the base and upon the dome stopped anyone unwanted from flying too close. 

To the rebels it would seem that the second largest city on Mandalore was still under the Pacifists control but, to the New Mandaolorians, it was their prison, their one chance of escape blocked by the extremist ring surrounding them. 

“General Kenn, incoming transmission.” A woman at the communication terminal called, one arm in a sling, having been forced to retire from the battlefield.

“From who?” the General commanded. A middle aged man, he towered over his soldiers with an intimidating air that brought all those under him in line. He was also a man who had earned their respect, having fought in the bloody wars besides them, irrespective of rank. His light hair was neatly shaved close to the head, though in the previous weeks military protocol with regard appearance had slacked, his was not the only whose hair had become outgrown, not the only beard to go untrimmed, the early signs of age, in the from of white strands, beginning to appear. 

“It's an unidentified ship.” The lieutenant informed him, as his eyes fell upon her, expecting answers.

“What kind?” He commanded, his tactical mind racing to see what kind of ploy the Extremists would try, he had made it very clear that any airborne attack would be brought down in a blinding inferno.

“Paladin class corvette.” The lieutenant informed the general, looking down at her screens.

“Not a type easily acquired here in Mandalore.” The general mused.

“We have been informed that the Rebels have acquired the help of bounty hunters, it may be one of them attempting to infiltrate Sundari.” The lieutenant explained. Lieutenant Lea Fitz was one of the soldiers that had been under the general’s command the longest, although a few years his junior she knew general Kenn would listen to her report and consider her words. “Permission to shoot?”

“Denied.” The general said, something about the type of ship-paladin-class corvette, he only knew of a particular group that utilised that type and it wasn’t extremist Mandalorians or bounty hunters. “Accept the transmission.”

The lieutenant nodded her head, pressing a button as a woman's voice cracked through the speakers, her voice increasing in pitch every few words as she spoke way too close to the mic. 

“This is Paladin-class corvette number 7105213- erm 2, sorry.'' The woman spoke frantically in Mandalorian, correcting the code as she did so causing the lieutenant to raise a questioning eyebrow up at the general. Any good pilot knew the identification code of their ship as if it were their own. 

“Paladin-class corvette number 7105212, state your business or you will be shot out of the sky.” Lieutenant Lea commanded, speaking into her own mic with an almost mechanical efficiency.

“By the stars!” The voice exclaimed, most likely more to herself. “We are seeking medical aid, we were trapped in the rains, we have someone inflicted with the Scourge.”

“We cannot spare medical supplies on a Scourge victim, your crew man will be dead in a few minutes.” The lieutenant said matter-of-factly, they had no time for sympathies. 

But the general put a hand on the woman's shoulder, causing her to mute the mic momentarily. This voice, it sounded familiar. 

“It has been several hours since the rains stopped, correct?” The general enquired.

“Yes, they stopped the previous night in our airspace.” The lieutenant agreed. “By all means, the scourge victim should be dead by now.”

“So either the person piloting that ship is a liar with obscenely bad information about the Scourge- or she is carrying someone of interest.” The general deduced. 

The lieutenant nodded her hand and unmuted the mic.

“State your name and the name of all sentient beings aboard. All cargo must also be declared.”

“No cargo.” The woman hastily replied, “And there are only two of us, my sick travel companion is Obi-Wan Kenobi and my name is Altaira Kenn.”

The general’s eyes shot to the terminal, the lieutenant captured his gaze, she was one of the few who would know the significance of that name and what a blatant lie the woman’s claim had been. 

The lieutenant's finger was already hovering over the automatic targeting system of the turrets, ready to shoot the corvette out of the sky. However, she did not have the same itch of recognition as the general had and the name… was it possible?

“Let them land.” He commanded. “West port, send all the guards we can spare. We will see for ourselves who these mysterious arrivals are and, heavens above take pity on them if they prove to be some extremist scum that have dredged up a dead woman’s name.”

The general finished as the Lieutenant spoke her commands to the corvette before sending the updates to the ports-men and guards, to be ready for guests and conflict.

* * *

“Come out with your hands up!” One of the guards ordered as a group of over 20 Mandalorian warriors formed a ring around the corvette as it made a rather shaky landing on the platform, a small outreach into the sand just outside the dome. General Kenn was looking at his soldiers as they worked, his arms crossed. He had trained them all personally and he believed it was only thanks to that, and their strong bonds as brothers -in-arms, that had gotten them through the long rotations. So many of their comrades had fallen, so few had gotten the appropriate send off, so many too young. They were children of the spring, born outside of the old wars. General Kenn was a survivor of the winter and he refused to allow the future generations to suffer through what he had, to see the countless bodies pile up simply to feed the insatiable bloodlust of his people. 

They could see movement in the cockpit, a sniper above the hanger bay gestured that he could see only two individuals through his scope, though his shot was unclear.

“Come out with your hands up!” The guard ordered again, cocking her blaster at the ship. “Or we will begin shooting!”

“Wait!” The woman's voice was shrill from within the ship, and the sounds of crashing and struggles could be heard inside. Another, lower voice could just be heard, the words incomprehensible, most likely her sick companion. The guard looked at the general, awaiting his orders but General Kenn raised a single palm, asking them to wait a little longer.

A few moments of further struggling from the inside of the ship and finally the main hatch opened with a teeth grating screech. Most of the guards by the port entrance aimed their weapons at the hatch, their fingers already on the trigger as they saw a single hand wave in the air, showing it held no weapon. 

“Don’t shoot!” It was the same voice that had spoken to the general and lieutenant on the comms. “We are unarmed.”

And slowly, the rest of the woman appeared. Her head was cloaked, but she looked small, not much of a threat. She seemed to be struggling with her companion who had one hand draped over her shoulders. Though his legs were trying to take feeble steps, his head was lolling, making movement for the woman difficult. 

“Don’t shoot!” The man slurred. 

“He sounds intoxicated, not sick.” The lieutenant’s voice buzzed through the comm in the general’s ear. 

“No…” The general answered in a low voice, his eyes never leaving the pair, “It's the Scourge.” He determined, noticing the lines of blood trickling down the man’s cheek.

“Do not move.” The guard yelled, causing the woman to struggle to a halt. “Remove your hood.”

The woman claiming to be Altaira Kenn faltered, her shadowed face looking around at the crowd surrounding her. So many blasters pointed at anyone would cause them to falter but the Mandalorian guard was relentless. 

“Remove your hood or we will begin shooting!” She yelled. 

The hooded woman tilted her head slightly to look at the man at her side and he seemed to whisper something, giving her the courage to do what the Mandalorians had asked of her. They had come here on the titbit of information they had acquired from the bounty hunters, they had had no time to scout the area, to see if they had spoken the truth.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had told her to trust in the Force, something she hadn’t even believed to be a real entity until she had met the Padawan and his master. And even there, as the guards she hoped were on her side of the war, pointed their weapons at her, he whispered the same encouraging words in his sickened daze.

“Trust in the Force.”

The woman, struggling slightly to support the man's weight, stood up straighter, using one hand to pull back the hood that had obscured the majority of her face from their view.

Most of the guards didn’t react, all they saw was some scroungy looking woman who had had no right demanding their aid in the middle of a war. But general Kenn recognised the woman, as did the lieutenant back at the control center.

The first hint had been the ship, in the last transmission they had received she had informed them that she had requested Jedi help. A paladin-class corvette was also dubbed a Jedi ship, for it was almost exclusively used by the order. The second hint had been the name she’d used, the smart girl hadn’t used her own name but her mother’s maiden name- Altaira Kenn, it was also the name of General’s Kenn’s deceased sister. 

Now, with her hood down, the early afternoon light illuminated her features, her golden hair and pale eyes the epitome of Mandalorian beauty, her face a painful reminder of his sister, her strong glare the same as her father’s.

“At ease!” The general yelled, emerging from the shadows from which he had been standing, finally capturing the attention of his niece. “This is Satine Kryze, the duchess of Mandalore.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So that's another chapter posted :D Been on shift for almost 24 hours but managed to post this on one of my breaks. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and thanks so much for reading! Feel free to drop a comment, next update will be on Tuesday :)


	14. Civilian

“We will give him the best care we can spare.” General Kenn reassured Satine some time later, as she watched Obi-Wan being taken to the med bay on a stretcher, his body spasming slightly as he coughed out blood. She didn’t like being apart from the sick man but she knew the general and his man would want to speak to her. 

“He is infected by the Scourge, we both knew there was no cure.” Satine stated hollowly, she’d brought him her on a whim, knowing deep down that nothing could help the Padawan.

“It is already a miracle he has lived this long.” General Kenn wondered. “And that you yourself are alive.”

The general gave his niece a fond smile which she returned, forcing away the tears that threatened to spill. It was such a relief to see a familiar face, alive, after all this time. 

“When those lying rebels declared they’d captured you, we’d thought the worst would follow- a public execution broadcast across the whole planet.” The general continued to explain, as his guards tried not to gawk at the young Duchess of Mandalore that had literally fallen into their laps. “Knowing you are alive… you will give the people the hope they need.”

“I do not believe the people will look fondly on my return.” Satine admitted, remembering how she had given the power of her armies to her generals. From their dented armour and scarce numbers, it appeared that it hadn’t spared many lives. 

General Kann gave a reluctant sigh. “And I fear some of the generals may agree with you there. Some believed you abandoned your people to their faiths…”

“I never would have done that.” She countered hotly, “But what could I have done? I am not a tactician or a seasoned warrior. I was taught the ways against violence…”

“And I know that.” Hastily agreed the general but Satine wasn’t mad at him rather at herself. She wished she could do more than simply be on the run. Her people were dying and she could do nothing to stop it. “But soldier morale will surely improve…”

“They do not know me.” That had been blatantly clear when none of the guards had lowered their blasters when she’d revealed herself at the landing bay. “They followed my father,  _ he _ was a great leader.”

“And so are you.” Her uncle insisted. “You just need to give them time.”

“I think that would be too much for me to ask.” She whispered as a man strode toward them. A tall, silver haired man with one eye brown and the other so grey and clouded, Satine half wondered if it were blind. Unlike the rest of the people she’d encountered he wasn't wearing a uniform but rather a long white coat, stained with red droplets. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt, General, but I feel I must insist that the Duchess get a medical check up while she can.” So the man must have been a medic or doctor of some sort.

“Don’t waste resources on me.” Satine quickly responded. “You have men and women in more dire need of it.”

The doctor gave the young woman a small smile. “I’d expect nothing less from the Duchess of Mandalore however, I feel it is my medical duty to make sure you are okay, especially considering the state of your friend.”

“How is he?” She blurted out, unable to hide her worry, although he’d only vanished into the med bay a few minutes ago. 

“He’s still being checked.” The doctor confirmed, “but it seems he may have a slow onset of the Scourge, I’ve never actually seen it progress this slowly, however.” Satine nodded her head, it was as she had feared then, there was nothing they could do for him. 

“On the comm you said you were caught in the rains,” The general enquired. “Were you on the ship when the Jedi was inflicted?”

But Satine slowly shook her head. “We were both caught in the rains but it’s been over a day and I haven’t shown any symptoms.”

The general took a surprised step back.

“You mustn't fear it, General.” The doctor calmly explained, most likely realising the reason for the man's reaction. “The Scourge cannot be transmitted between individuals and, as you can see, the Duchess is dry, any trace of the rain has long since vanished.”

“That still doesn't explain why I’m fine.” Satine questioned. “There isn’t a cure for the Scourge.”

“It could be a lot of things.” Slowly began to explain the doctor, raising one hand to his chin in thought. “We’ve never had a patient whose body actually, successfully, fought off the virus, hence why we’ve never been able to create a vaccine. However, some in the medical field have noticed that, although very rare, certain individuals may survive coming in contact with the disease… by any chance, Duchess, no immediate family member of yours has been afflicted by some chronic disease, have they?”

Satine’s throat tightened slightly as she nodded her head. “My mother.” She croaked, although it had been many years, speaking of her end had never become easier.

“She died from the Curse.” The general elaborated. 

The Curse was a rare inheritable disease found amongst Mandalorians, a slow degenerative disease whereby one's body begins to fight itself, causing it to slowly shut down. Her mother had chosen euthanasia rather than allow the disease to plummet her into the harshest and final stage, it was  _ that _ torturous a disease.

“My condolences.” The doctor said, sympathetically, “I’ve seen a few cases… it is never pleasant, not for the patient nor those left behind.”

“Could there be a correlation?” The general probed on, pulling Satine out of the dark memories of her childhood.

“It's still just a theory... but some believe the same mutated immune cells that cause the Curse may also be able to fight against the Scourge.”

“So that means I only survived the Scourge because I’m sick with the Curse? I’m not sure that’s any better, doctor.” Satine’s mouth felt dry as she spoke. 

“The Curse is triggered by stress, so the fact you aren’t showing symptoms of that after the several months of civil war we’ve had shows you don’t have it. However, you may still have acquired some of your mother’s potential immunity as an infant.”

“Is there a way to collect this? Make a vaccine even?” A new energy had entered her voice, was it possible she held the cure needed to potentially help Obi-Wan? 

“Again, it’s just a hypothesis, we’d need to take samples, human trials...” But the doctor was cut short as Satine jabbed her hand forward, pulling her sleeve up and turning her arm palm upwards, her veins almost showing through her pale skin. 

“Take all the blood you need.” She commanded. “If it could help the Padawan… if it could save my people, then you can have it all.”

“Now don’t be hasty.” The General began, this side of Satine was annoyingly like his sister, selfless to the point that she’d jeopardise her own health to help others. 

“Let's start with that health check first.” The doctor calmly insisted, pushing her hand away. “And then we’ll see from there, agreed?”

“Fine.” She said, “but we must hurry.”  _ He doesn’t have much time left. _

Apart from a number of scratches and bruises and being severely malnourished, the doctor gave Satine a clean bill of health, though he was reluctant to take the blood samples needed for the test. However Satine commanded it be done and it may have been one of the last orders she’d made as the Duchess of Mandalore.

The meeting started right after her check up, she’d been given a glass of sugared water, though it helped very little with her lightheadedness. The doctor had suggested she rest after giving so much blood but this was one meeting she couldn’t miss, as it was her title that was to be discussed. 

The meeting was held in the command center where a number of generals, men and women of various ages, were present in holographic form. Present, in person, where General Kenn, Lieutenant Fitz and Satine herself. A droid was present, to record the preceding for official use.

“Her naive beliefs have led to the loss of countless lives!” A middle aged general woman was yelling. “ Her inability to take action has murdered her own cause!”

“Must I remind you, general Car’na, that the duchess had given us full command over the armies. “ Another holographic general, a youngish man with a gash running down his cheek, countered. “Any lives lost in your corps are due to your own inadequacies.”

“That still does not change the fact that she abandoned her soldiers and her people and chose to go into hiding, General Vell.” Another general countered. “A leader that fails to lead when called upon is no leader at all.”

“You must remember, General Magro, that the Duke’s Korkie’s death was sudden, can we really blame the duchess for going into hiding when she was thrust into a war?” General Kenn tried to calmly reason.

“We were all thrust into this war!” Yelled General Car’na, her image flickering slightly. “If her training to lead was fruitless, then the late Duke had failed in raising a suitable heir.”

“You may speak ill of me all you wish, general.” Satine said in a loud, clear voice, raising her head to face the holograms. “But I will not allow you to insult my father.”

“If only she showed half this conviction when leading her warriors.” General Car’na muttered. “I say we put this to a vote, I believe this girl is not suited to lead Mandalore.”

“No, General…” There was a threatening tone in Kenn’s voice. “Mandalore is a duchy, not a democracy!”

“And the Kryzes ended one war just to start another.” General Car’na retorted harshly.

General Kenn made to answer but Satine put a gentle hand on his arm, silencing him as her uncle gave her a questioning look.

“I fully understand your grievances.” She began calmly, now this she  _ had _ been trained for, how to have a group of people, determined to oppose her, listen to her words. “But my father’s beliefs are my own, I am a pacifist, I believe war will just lead to more war. I wish I could pick up a blade as you all have, to shed the blood of my enemies to protect my people… know I would sacrifice my life if it meant this war would end but for me to take another's life, to partake in this war, would that not make me a hypocrite? I may be a naive leader but I shall not fall to hypocrisy.” She then took a steadying breath, the way she had seen Obi-Wan do many times before calling on the Force for help, it cleared her thoughts slightly. “If I will not be permitted to lead according to my morality, if I must fall to the level of the monsters we fight then I am not suited to lead the Mandalorians and I will resign from my title.'' There were a number of protests from her uncle and a few of the holograms but Satine spoke on, not allowing anyone to interrupt her for this was what she believed was best for Mandalore. “In my place, if I have the right to choose, I would wish General Kenn to lead. Although I may be biased for, as you all know, he is my uncle but I believe you would all agree he has earned his rank and all our respects.”

Satine bowed her head slightly. “Just please save Mandalore, that is all I ask from you now, as no one but a mere citizen of this planet.”

Some of the generals nodded their heads in agreement but most were still stunned at Satine’s response. Even General Car’na, who had opposed the Duchess so openly, was stunned into silence at the girl's response; she had not wished her to wash her hands of Mandalore like this. They had called her naive but there was a maturity in her words, in knowing one's limits and faults and accepting them. Some may have accused the woman of cowardice but they knew that was not it, Satine wanted to save her people but truly believed, in her heart, she was not capable of doing so.

“Generals.” Satine finished, bowing her head in respect before turning her back on them and leaving the stunned group in silence as they chewed on the new found responsibility they had been given.Th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading, I hope you enjoyed the latest update :D Feel free to drop a comment, next chapter will be up Friday :D


	15. Sickness

An emptiness filled Satine as she sat in the med bay at Obi-Wan’s side. All her life she had been moulded to be the Duchess of Mandalore but, with her becoming blatantly aware of how inadequately suited she was for the role, and having been stripped of the title, for the first time in her life, she didn’t know what to do. So she sat amongst the beds of the injured and dying, many coughing into their pillows, others missing some limb or other, all with the same, vacant look in their eyes, the lights of hope had been extinguished within these warriors, the will to live flickering in dismay.

So many unnamed men and women who had fought for her cause, so much loss carried out in her name, she felt like a hypocrite even simply sitting amongst them.

“Master?” Obi-Wan turned in his sleep, the wet cloth on his head sliding off. His fever refused to break, making his delusions worse and the amount of blood he coughed out was increasing at an alarming rate.

“Hush, Obi-Wan.” She whispered standing, and soaking the cloth with fresh, cooled water before carefully placing it on his head once again. 

The Padawan’s eyes fluttered open, his usually bright blue eyes had dimmed as he looked at her, struggling to focus on her face.

“Duchess?” The word almost came out as a breath, his lips were dry and his mouth tasted of iron.

“I’m here, Obi-Wan.” She whispered, keeping her voice low so as to not disturb the other patients. She kept her hand on the cloth on his forehead a moment longer, making sure it stayed in place. “Though it's just Satine now, I’m no longer the Duchess of Mandalore.”

She made to recede her hand but, with trembling fingers, he reached up and grasped them gently. His palms were warm against Satine’s skin, she could feel the calouses that rimmed his hands and fingers, the roughness hours of lightsaber training had left on them. She didn’t pull away from the dying man, she was no longer the duchess, appearances wouldn’t matter now.

“I-if that’s the case.” He slurred, trying for his usual smirk-like smile. “If you are just Satine now, I am just Obi to you.”

Satine couldn’t help smile at the man’s fever induced ramblings. She had no energy to argue with him nor did she want to. Though she had refused to admit it before now, Obi-Wan had become her comfort over the rotations, the one constant as the world around her had shifted to one that wished for her death. Being his final comfort now was the least she could do.

“I wish to say that I am surprised to find you here, Duchess, but I make it a point not to lie.”

Satine looked up to see the doctor who had been treating Obi-Wan entering the med bay, dark shadows had formed under his eyes.

“Is it really that late?” She mused, time had gotten away from her, her own fatigue keeping her from sleep.

“Some may even consider this early morning.” He answered in a cool, calm voice.

“Then I must wonder what the good doctor is doing up at this ungodly hour.”

As a response, from the pocket of his jacket, he pulled out a container in which were a few vials of clear rose fluid and a syringe.

“The antidote? You finished it?” Satine struggled to keep the excitement out of her voice.

“It's only a prototype.” The doctor warned. “We believe we may have been able to isolate the antibodies that may counter the Scourge. With the equipment at hand we may not be able to mass produce it just yet, but we may have a solution for your friend here, at least.”

“Do you think this could work?” Satine feared to ask, fearing to give herself hope. 

“We didn’t have time to test it, he will be our patient zero. If you choose to allow us to perform the treatment…if this doesn’t work we may hasten his end”

Satine looked down at Obi-Wan’s feverous face, at the stains of blood that covered his chin, from the streaks of blood that had begun to run down his cheeks. He was going to die, the Scourge’s effects may have been slowed by the Force, presumably, but the results would be the same. Obi-Wan was dying and the doctor had just presented her with another option, one that may still lead to Padawan's death or to his survival. 

The worst case was the same result as if she had done nothing.

“Do it.” She said. She would take responsibility for her decision, Obi-Wan was in no state to make such a choice. 

“Very well.” The doctor said, nodding his head and taking the seat on the other side of Obi-Wan’s bed. “I suggest you try to keep him calm, we don’t know how his body may react to the antiviral.” The doctor explained, as he began to place the vial into the injection gauge. “Speak to him for example, keep his attention on you.” The doctor elaborated as Satine looked at him, confused. 

What could Satine tell the Padawan on his deathbed? So so many things actually ... so many things she’d kept bottled away, resisting the urge to say, to act on. Even now, with her chains as duchess removed, she had no right to burden the youth with feelings that were not shared. 

The Doctor looked at her pointedly, she could begin when she wished. 

Satine opened her mouth to say something and she found herself reciting the words to an old Lullaby her mother used to sing to her as a child. The doctor nodded his head approvingly, as the woman’s soft voice wafted over the patient, taking the opportunity to inject the serum, while sending a silent prayer to the gods for this to work, for both their sakes. 

Satine continued to sing, to sing in a language Obi-Wan did not know, to describe beauties of her planet he’d never see. She continued to sing her soft tune, as his body suddenly jerked forward, each muscle spasming. She gripped his hands in her own, tighter, her voice shaking as the doctor quickly injected him with another, transparent vial this time, as his movements stopped and he fell back, limp, onto the bed. 

She continued the lullaby, grasping Obi-Wan’s unmoving hands within her own. She’d sung this then as well, on the night her mother had passed. She’d been singing when she’d taken her final breath. This song was meant to lull children into a calm sleep, into a sleep that could be woken from, not one that would never end. 

Satine pressed her clasped hands to her forehead, feeling the warm tears running down her face as the memories of her mother’s death were relived anew. Her fears amplified, Obi-Wan was still not moving, had he joined her mother in a place she could not go?

“You have … a surprisingly beautiful singing voice.” The voice was hoarse and low, barely loud enough for Satine to hear but she did feel Obi-Wan’s hands move within her own. She looked up to see the Padawan looking at her with half-closed eyes. “You’ve got an audience as well…”

Obi-Wan was as perspective as ever. Unbeknownst to Satine, her lullaby had woken a number of the injured but none had chosen to silence her or interrupt her, all lay in the beds, allowing her soft, melodious voice to comfort them, allowing them to forget their wounds and pain for the time being. 

“You’re alive!” She gasped, the tears still flowing and still unable to let go of Obi-Wan's hand, even as she spoke, she could see the red colour fading from his face, giving him a healthier hue. 

“That must have been some miracle drug, doc.” Obi-Wan observed, turning to look at the doctor, whose analytical mind was taking note of the patient’s recovery, accounting the speed to his link with the Force. 

“Actually, it was Satine who saved you.” The doctor explained. “It was her blood that held the cure.”

“You did?” Obi-Wan tried for a smile and it worked, causing Satine to smile through her tears. “Seems like I owe you one now.”

“Let’s just say I'm finally paying back my debt. “ She hiccuped, trying to wipe at her eyes with her elbows while refusing to let go of Obi-Wan’s hand. The Padawan didn’t complain, she could hold it for a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for reading! I hope you all liked the chapter and are enjoying the story so far. Feel free to drop a comment, next update will be out Tuesday :D  
> PS. Sorry the chapters are a little shorter at the moment, I promise they will get longer again soon :3


	16. Health

It would have been naive if they believed that simply giving Obi-Wan Kenobi the antiviral would have completely cured him. It was only in works of fiction where the hero is given a vaccine and is ready for battle instantly. This was not fiction. Although the vaccine had done its job of eliminating the virus and preventing it from causing further damage, it could do little against the damage the virus had already inflicted. So, although Obi-Wan’s fever had broken at last and the spasms had seized, the bleeding had still continued, but for that, more conventional medicines were available. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi was also a horrible patient, in the hours he awoke he’d constantly complain that he was fine but yet, he barely had enough strength in his legs to stand, that was most likely the only reason why he never succeeded in his escapes and, most likely, he secretly enjoyed being doted on by the young woman. Satine had little doubt that even the finest of Mandalore's guard would have been unable to keep him in bed had he been at full fighting strength.

There were times when the Padawan was an excellent, less annoying patient, but that was usually right after Doctor Gatt would administer the drugs to aid with the recovery. He’d initially complain they made him drowsy but then they would put him in a relaxed, healing sleep where he could complain no more. 

The doctor was optimistic about Obi-Wan’s recovery. Although he would have prescribed a month’s treatment to a normal humanoid he believed the Padawan's healing may also be faster thanks to the Force.

“Such an intriguing thing.” The half blind doctor had muttered once. “Such a miraculous thing, if only it could be shared.”

“But it's in all of us, Doctor,” Satine had answered, absentmindedly remembering Obi-Wan’s explanations as she brought a blanket up to the sleeping man's chin.”Just some are more intune with it than others.”

The doctor nodded his head, but he knew there were many things he would never fully understand in this life, the Force and its ways, being two of them. 

For the rotations during which Obi-Wan was in recovery, Satine barely left the med bay. Although she could do little more for Obi-Wan then let him recover, there were many warriors that needed tending too, and the medical bay was under-manned. The medical droids were fast and efficient, yet scarce in number, the doctors and nurses, and the few volunteers that had offered their time to help, had had little time to rest and, when the fighting outside began a new, the dome shaking with each new explosion, they became spread too thin. 

So Satine helped how she could, cleaning and changing bandages as the professionals dealt with more severe cases. And she saw it all, refusing to look away from the horrors this war had brought with it- soldiers whose limbs had been ripped away to reveal the bone beneath, other’s whose faces were still melting off their skulls, others arriving, screaming in anguish, only to be silenced with the arrival of death. 

As Satine worked, learning quickly from following the professionals’ lead, she noticed that, although smaller in number, a few of the injured donned the colours of rebel tribes and she swelled with pride that she knew her people would care for the injured, irrespective of side. 

“We can’t promise they'll show us the same civility.” A nurse had gruffly commented, when Satine had pointed this out. 

As for her advocacy of her title, it had all remained rather hushed, her uncle spoke little of his work, or if the other generals had even chosen a new leader, but she didn’t pry, for she had no right to know. She was the same as a normal citizen now and she would most likely hear news when they did. So all she could do was occupy her time, helping the people as she could. 

“That would mean your mission is now complete.” Satine had said one day, when she sat beside Obi-Wan as he had insisted she explain what happened when she’d met with the council of generals. “I am no longer the Duchess of Mandalore.”

Obi-Wan seemed to chew on her words, not once had he questioned her choices or decisions, though he seemed conflicted with the turn of events. “It would seem my mission here on Mandalore is over, with no duchess to aide.”

“Though the negotiations with the rebels were short.” She pointed out, remembering the original reason why she had called for the Jedi’s help. 

“Non existent would have been my words.” Obi-Wan corrected. “I should head back to Coruscant, inform the council of my master’s disappearance.”

Satine nodded her head in understanding, she had prepared herself for this, it would have been selfish of her to ask him to stay on Mandalore now that she was no longer duchess. She tried extremely hard to not let the disappointment show on her face as she realised that her and the Padawan’s companionship was as flimsy as her own title had been. 

“However,” he continued, you gave me a second mission,” Obi-Wan said firmly, causing her to look up at him in surprise, there was no humour in his eyes. The words he said next were in all seriousness. “Not a request made by the Duchess of Mandalore but by my friend Satine Kryze- I had promised to help find her sisters and bring them to safety.”

Satine had almost forgotten about the request she’d made back when she had believed she was the one who would die from the Scourge. So much had happened since then, she was surprised he remembered. She couldn’t help smile fondly at the fact he had called her his friend. Knowing what she did about the Jedi Order and their teachings on attachments she could live with knowing they were at least that. 

“I would also feel really bad if I didn't even try to find my master before I left for home.” He finished off lightly. “I’d definitely get an earful if he turns out to be fine and I just left him behind.”

“It won’t be easy though.” Satine pointed out.

“Trust me, Satine, no days have been easy since I met you.” He teased, smiling, he’d begun to smile more recently. Satine rolled her eyes at his comment.

“Then it's a plan, my dear Obi.” She stated, nodding her head.

“What did you call me?” The Padawan exclaimed, unsure he had heard correctly.

“Obi.” Satine said, taken aback by his reaction.

“Since when do you call me that?” Was he blushing at the pet's name he himself had asked her to use?

“You told me to, back when you had your fever.”

“I was delusional! I take it back.”

“I refuse.” Satine teased, enjoying how embarrassed and flustered the Padawan was becoming simply from a shortening of this name, it wasn’t common for him to lose his composure.

“You refuse? You can’t just re-”

But their light bickering was interrupted by a thunderous explosion, accompanied by a shaking so strong, the windows shattered and the lights flickered. Many of the patients screamed in surprise, as their beds shook and they were showered in the glass. 

“What happened!?” Satine yelled, standing to inspect the patients in the ward she was in, running between the beds, checking on each individual person. Fresh cuts covered some from where the glass had hit, one was particularly deep, the large glass fragment still wedged into the flash however Satine refused to remove it, for she knew it would bleed out if she acted so rashly.

“That sounded like it came from inside the dome.” Obi-Wan swiftly deduced, trying to swing his legs out of bed. 

“Have the rebels infiltrated the dome?!” She yelled returning to the patient with the glass, slowly removing the fragment and quickly applying adhesive and wrapping the wound to minimise bleeding. 

“There was an explosion at the storage facility!” A nurse yelled, running into the ward to quickly check on the patients and move the beds to make more space, they must be expecting more arrivals. “There are people trapped inside!”

“Was it the rebels?!” Satine asked, helping the nurse carefully move the beds closer together.

The nurse shook her head. “I don’t know but, what I do know is that if those people don’t get out soon, it will be to the morgue that they will be visiting, not us.”

“I can help.” Piped in Obi-Wan, as he still struggled to stand, a tingling feeling ran down his legs as he applied pressure on them for the first time in some days. 

“How?” Satine countered. “You can barely walk.”

“I don’t need to walk to move some rocks.” Obi-Wan stubbornly countered. “I just need the Force.”

Satine looked at the nurse. 

“It sounds like magic to me.” The nurse hastily admitted, “but if you two think you can stop a few more lives being sent off then go!”

“But won’t you need as much help as you can here?” Satine quickly enquired, noticing the nurse had suggested she too leave the medical bay. 

“I don’t think you’d have the heart or mind to work knowing you sent him off on his own, dearie.” the nurse quickly answered. Satine nodded her head. She was right, she’d be too preoccupied wondering if he were okay to be of any use, after all the Padawan could barely walk, and she didn’t want to be distracted and make mistakes that could cost more lives. 

“C’mon then.” Satine ordered, running to Obi-Wan and allowing him to use her as support to stand. “Let’s go move some rocks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter posted! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it :) Like usual, next update will be Friday and feel free to drop comment. Thanks again for reading :D


	17. Fire

Outside the hospital, the city of Sundari was in utter chaos. Civilians were running through the streets, away from a large black cloud of smoke that was choking the air faster than the currently damaged public filters would be able to clean. 

“Run indoors!” City official protocol droids were yelling, over the cries and shrieks of the panicked Mandalorians. “The private filter systems will keep the smoke away!”

But the droids' calm words did little to ease the citizens, as they continued to flee. However, as the masses ran from the destruction, a small number ran towards it, Obi-Wan and Satine being two of them. 

Sundari may have been a beautiful city if it weren't under siege, with vast green areas and towering buildings, you’d almost believe it were a normal city not one stored in a dome. It had been one of these buildings that was the source of the chaos. Although the majority of the building still stood, the lower levels had been blasted away, causing the integrity of the rest of the building to be at risk. Large crimson flames engulfed what once may have been the main entrance and large dark clouds were filling the upper levels. 

Two groups of people had gathered across from the disaster, one group was facing the raging inferno while the other group, most in scorched guard uniforms, were keeping the civilians at bay.

“Let us through! There are people still trapped inside!” A man yelled trying to push against a soldier, only to be pushed back using a broad, battered shield. 

“The building is not secure.” One of the soldiers yelled, “It could collapse any moment now.”

“Please!” A woman shrieked, clutching her fist to her chest. “There may still be survivors! My son hasn’t come out yet!”

“Have the search and rescue been dispatched?” Satine asked, calmly but efficiently, pushing herself to the front of the group with a little struggle. 

The guard that had been addressing the crowd faltered. “All resources are currently being used to prevent the rebels from entering the city. Those possessing the adequate equipment to enter the fire cannot be spared.”

“So we are to let them burn?!” Another man yelled. 

“What of the internal extinguisher systems?” Satine demanded, remembering that all public buildings within the dome systems possessed a fire extinguisher system to prevent the possibility of a vacuum forming within the domes.

“Emergency power has had to be directed elsewhere- to the hospital and filter systems.”

This new revelation caused a greater uproar from the crowd, causing them to push more aggressively against the guards and threatened to crush Obi-Wan and Satine under their pressure. 

“What are we going to do?” Obi-Wan gasped, struggling to stay on his feet as the people around them pushed them against the guards.

“Government buildings have a manual override - the extinguisher system can be turned on from the inside!” Satine explained. 

“So unless someone inside does something, they’ll burn?!” Obi-Wan yelled over the shouting, his eyes focusing on the fire as it continued to burn more brightly. 

“Or someone goes in to stop it.” Satine answered, her mind already retrieving the general schematics of government buildings.

“Don’t even think…” Had Obi-Wan been at full strength he would have been fast enough to stop her, but, still being in recovery, Satine ran out of his reach, slipping under the guards’ shields and racing towards the burning building before any normal person could even hope to react as they struggled against the crowd. 

“Hey!” One yelled, but was unable to chase her as the rest of the crowd pressed their weight against their barrier. Satine continued to run, her feet reacting before she could really think it though. She reached the entrance as a cracking explosion of flame threatened to wash over her. She raised her hands instinctively to block it, cursing herself for her rash decision.

“This has to be one of the stupidest things you’ve ever done!'' The voice caused Santine to tentatively lower her hands to find Obi-Wan standing beside her, his breath strained as he had used all his strength to reach her in time, using the Force to dispel the flames as best he could. 

“You can control fire?” She gasped, her lips already drying from the heat. 

“Somewhat, apparently.” Obi-Wan panted. “Though I must be mad to be following you into it.”

“Just add it to my tab!” Satine called, scooching around the flames and entering the burning building, Obi-Wan following a step behind her.

The entrance had been blown out, and glass and debris lay scattered across the floor, pieces of the upper floors had already begun to cave in. Although it seemed the fire was spreading, the main inferno was deeper inside. 

Satine coughed into her hand, her eyes watering as she tried to look around. 

There should be a manual override on every floor for security reasons, around the area most people would most likely be on a normal day. Considering this was a storage facility, Satine had taken it to be the storage room itself. 

“Help!” Someone help us!” A voice croaked over the creaking debris and crackling fire. Obi-Wan looked around, using the Force to to guide them. One of the doors further up, led to an elevator, which had been blocked by a fallen column obscuring the voices.

“This way!” Yelled Obi-Wan, running further ahead as Satine struggled to follow him, what were the chances the Force was also keeping him cool in this accumulating heat?

“Can you move that?” She coughed, the column seemed to be coated in layers of metal, even if Obi-Wan were at full strength, they wouldn’t have been able to lift it with physical strength alone.

“But you have to be quick.” Obi-Wan reluctantly said, looking up at the ceiling, tongues of flame had begun to spread overhead. Satine nodded her head. The Padawan taking that as a sign to begin, he extended a shaky hand, closing his eyes for maximum focus as he began visualising the Force not only within the debris, but also around it, urging it to push against the metal, moving it ever so slightly. Satine ran towards the door, in the gap between the doors, which had stopped mid motion she could make out a small group of people, struggling to see what was happening on the outside. 

“One at a time, hurry!” Satine yelled, as the frantic people within began to struggle over who got out first. 

“Satine hurry!” Obi-Wan groaned, the tremor in his hand increasing, a sweat droplet running down his face from the strain. 

“Unless you don’t calm down we will all be buried alive!” She yelled at the group, seemingly knocking some sense into them. “One at a time and hurry!”

This time, they actually listened, each person scrambling to escape the elevator, each movement causing it to creak. With a good tug from Satine’s side, the last person fell out of the lift, Obi-Wan releasing the column as it crashed back into place, along with a further layer of now burning debris. Satine scrambled to look at the survivors, five in all, none looking particularly injured. 

“The manual override?” She ordered, they had no time to waste.

“In the main storage department at the end of this corridor.” A woman coughed, ducking her head as a flare of fire attempted to reach out for them.

“There are people still trapped in there!” A man frantically explained.

“We’ll do our best.” Satine promised, looking at Obi-Wan, who was bent double, hands on his knees and breathing heavily. “Obi-Wan, take them outside.” 

“And leave you here? The smoke must be getting to you.” He coughed, giving her a stern look.

Satine had no time to argue. 

“Help is waiting outside- Go!” She ordered the group of civilians, as they nodded their heads, some even voicing their thanks as they escaped.

The two youths pressed on, the mass of red flames crawling up the walls like a beast, devouring all with its crimson hunger.

“Can you feel anything?” Satine coughed, as she covered her mouth to block the smoke and wiped at her tearing eyes. 

“Very hot.” Obi-Wan complained, causing Satine to roll her eyes, even in such a situation he never failed to pass an unneeded comment. “I can sense people ahead..”

Satine nodded her head about to press forward when she felt Obi-Wan grab her shoulder and pull her back, extending his arms as an explosion of fire from one of the side rooms threatened to engulf them both. The flames folded in on themselves before retreating back from whence they had come.

“So convenient you can do that.” She said, thankfully, as the two moved more carefully into the building.

”Let’s not try our luck.” Obi-Wan admitted.

Obi-Wan and Satine carefully but swiftly made their way through the collapsing corridor, the fire's heat intensifying so much they could barely breathe. 

“We need to head back out.” Obi-Wan coughed, his lungs felt as if they had caught on fire.

However Satine continued to press on, they were so close now… panicked screams brought more energy into their steps spurring them forward. The area was illuminated by fiery red flame, the smoke thick and suffocating, filling all crevices with its dark hold. The floor above them gave an ominous creak, ready to collapse at any moment. At last they saw them, trapped behind a wall of fire and rubble, a pair of people trapped within the store room.

“The overdrive is in there.” Satine yelled over the fire’s roar. “But we need to get them out!”

“I won’t be able to hold it for long .” Obi-Wan confessed, eyeing the rubble, Satine nodded her head. Although saving the civilians was priority, reaching the manual overdrive was the only way anyone in the upper floors would even have a chance of surviving, and it would prevent the fire from spreading through the rest of the city. Sundari may seem impenetrable from the outside, but its insides were soft and easily destroyed.

“It will have to do.” Satine agreed, her eyes falling on the fires that stood in their way.

* * *

Outside the building, the guards and soldiers still present within the city were working frantically to prevent further unauthorised individuals from charging into the inferno while at the same time trying to prevent the spread of the flames. Medics were on site, treating those that had initially escaped and a small group that had emerged a while after the unnamed pair had charged into the building. Now two men were escaping out of the building, coughing and gagging as they collapsed in the arms of the medics, their skin red and blistered. A large explosion shook the building, sending a flurry of flame out of the shattered door and causing the gathered group outside it to stagger backwards and producing a fresh wave of screams.

_ Those idiots _ . One guard thought, the one the girl had managed to get past.  _ They had run into their own fiery death, only to save a handful of lives. _

There was no way they could have escaped that explosion.. 

The agitated group began to shift as, merging with the roars of the fire, a new sound joined it, a wailing siren, starting from the bottom floor and slowly echoing upwards. From within, a hiss loudly filled the air, like water being instantly boiled and evaporated. The light of the fire dimmed as a lighter coloured cloud of smoke began to escape, bringing with it the smell of burning plastic and scorched metal. Like the siren, the paler smoke began a cascade, climbing and emerging from the upper floors until the black smoke had been almost totally wiped out and the fire’s light dimmed into a harmless glow.

The crowd held its breath, had those two actually succeeded in reaching the manual override?

They saw movement within the smoke, the dark grey particles shifting out of their way as if being pushed by an invisible wind to reveal two forms staggering out, on hand over the other’s shoulder, unclear who was supporting who. 

The crowd erupted into cheers as Satine and Obi-Wan staggered into the artificial light, coughing smoke and spitting out sooth. A couple of guards and medics ran to them, helping them get some distance from the dying fire. As they were guided through the crowd people hooted and cheered, some even patted them on the backs, making them cough more. Not even the guards could reprimand their careless actions for, through them, an even greater disaster had been prevented. 

“What is your name.” One of the medics was insisting, handing both Obi-Wan and Satine a bag each, covering their mouths and forcing them to breath, asking questions to check their responsiveness

“Obi-Wan Kenobi.” The Padawan wheezed as a medic gently helped him sit, both arms were trembling from over exertion now, and his legs felt like gelatine.

“Satine Kryze.” Satine heavily breathed, trying desperately to cough out the cloud of smoke that had trapped itself within her lungs. Her name was accompanied by a sudden uproar of whispers, many people craning their necks to try get a better look at the young lady that had aided in the rescue.

“Satine Kryze?” They whispered, “The duchess?!”

Their whispers erupted into further cheers, tears wept and doubts erased for the duchess of Mandalore had been among them, helping them, and not at the mercy of the rebels.

“Give them some space!'' The head guard on site ordered, being the first to regain his senses after discovering Satine’s identity, forcing the crowd further away not only away from the still unstable building but also from Satine. The young woman was finding too much difficulty breathing to correct them that she no longer was the Duchess of Mandalore, deciding she’d do it once her lungs had finally been cleared.

Some way away, his condition still being checked by a male medic as he was forced to sit on the floor, Obi-Wan was finding it very hard to stop his hands from trembling, he’d known he had yet not fully recovered from the Scourge, but he’d hoped to be in a better state then this. Blinking against his still tearing eyes, he looked up to see Satine was not looking any better than him, her palms and fingers were bleeding, her face was a bright red with sooth having left a patchwork mess in her hair. She was leaning forward slightly, breathing into an aid like he was, coughing painfully. Behind her, from another nearby building, a flash of crimson light caught Obi-Wan’s attention.

It took him a moment to realise what it was. 

He was a moment too late. 

He tried to reach out into the Force, to divert the danger or at least push the woman out of it, but his hands spasmed painfully as he tried. His voice failed him, like the rest of his body had, he was too slow

_ Please!  _ He begged the Force.

“Satine!” He yelled, causing the girl to look up at him in surprise, to see his outstretched hand. She turned around to find the shot of a blaster an inch away from her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the update. Feel free to drop a comment and I think I've annoyed you all enough to know when the next update will be ;)


	18. If

“Oh Satine!” Luna gasped, covering her mouth with a pale delicate hand. “You look beautiful!”

The young woman blushed at her sister’s words. By Mandalorian culture her pale features were always deemed to be of astounding beauty, though she herself found her appearance rather bland. Satine inspected herself in the richly decorated mirror, had her cheeks always been this hollow? Her eyes this sunken? The sleeves of her dress were sliding off one shoulder, had she somehow lost weight since the dress had last been fitted? 

For hours the servants had doted over her, making her skin paler and her eyes larger and yet making her lips a deeper, more endearing shade. Her long blond hair had been braided into an intricate up-do (one of the servants had claimed it was all the rage with the queen of Naboo). As to devoid her of any other colour, her dress was a pale cream colour the a pattern of golden Mandalorian Vurmur flowers decorating her high necked body and the edge of her skirt.

“I swear, Tiil Tat got the better end of this deal.” Sighed Bo-katan as, she too, looked at her older sister in approval, placing her hands on her hips. Unlike Satine and Luna, Bo-katan was dressed in the formal wear of a guard, more for show then actual combat, but, aside from the jacket she claimed constricted her movement, she was far more ready for battle in her dark navy pants, and surely more comfortable.

“Till Tat.” Satine whispered in an undertone, the name of her fiance-to -be, he had been all the sisters could talk about for some time but the name sounded strange on her lips like they hadn’t been said for many years.

“Oh you're just saying that because you want him for yourself.” Satine teased playfully, delicately picking up her dress as she walked closer to her two sisters. The richness of the fabric sent a tingling feeling across her skin, which was strange for she usually wore clothing of the highest quality and so was used to such fabrics.

Bo-katan snorted in a rather unlady-like way. “I’d rather marry a strill.”

“Well I think he looks rather dashing, if you ask me.” Luna chimed in. “Plus, he’s been eyeing you for as long as I can remember.”

“No one asked you.” Countered Bo, raising her hand to ruffle the youngest sister’s hair, but Luna agilely back-stepped, she refused to let Bo-katan ruin her hair just because she chose to go out dressed like a boy. “And don’t be coy Luna, we know you have a fancy for Tiil’s older brother…”

Satine watched her sisters’ bickering, a sense of nostalgia spreading through her, was the prospect of marriage making her see such moments with her sisters were soon to come to an end? A chapter barely started already coming to a close?

“Satine?” Luna tilted her head, concerned at her sister’s vacant look.

“We mustn't speak ill of any of the Tat’s. This is a political marriage must I remind you? It matters not which is more dashing, if either.” Satine answered, her voice cracking slightly.

“Yes yes, father’s drilled into us-  _ a symbolic marriage between the Kryzes’ New Mandalorians and the Tat’s Old _ .” Bo-Katan explained in a sing-song way. 

“It would be so much more romantic though if you could marry someone not only to help our planet but out of love.” Luna wondered dreamily. “You think you could grow to love him?”

“As much as you can keep your nose out of those blasted books!” Countered Bo. “You haven’t stumbled on something too naughty, have you?”

“Out of love, hmmm?” Satine repeated again, her heart raced at the thought but it surely wasn’t Til Tat that made her feel so. “We should get going or I will be late for my own betrothal party.” Satine piped in pulling herself out of her jumble of thoughts, hooking a hand into each of her sisters’ before Bo-katan could elaborate and Luna could turn as red as her hair. She led the girls though the lavishly decorated passages to where the party was being held. Many of the paintings portrayed the lost natural landscape of Mandalore, now simply things of history

“You were  _ this _ close to being late.” Hissed Abi Jhong, a woman slightly older than Satine, who had been helping around the palace since the sisters were still very young. Satine paused at the sight of the woman, feeling surprised at seeing her waiting for them which was bizarre as she should have been waiting for them, for that was her job. Where else had Satine expected her to be before such a function? 

“Well better introduce us before we’re  _ actually _ late.” Bo-katan laughed, winking as Abi tugged at her jacket and cleared her throat. 

Luna took an excited breath before walking up the parapet, music was washing over them, slightly covering the chatter of the guests down below. As she took her place besides the golden staircase, the musicians paused, and Abi began to speak, capturing the attention of the whole party. 

“Countess Luna Kryze.” Abi called, loud and crisp as the youngest sister bowed, her floral green dress shimmering as she curtsied and began to walk down the steps, she smiled sweetly and stopped with confidence on the final step as Bo-katan took her place on the parapet above. 

“Countess Bo- Katan Kryze.” Abi said, sneakily rolling her eyes as the sister gave a flamboyant bow before she followed her sister down the stairs.

Abi allowed for an extended pause as Satine took her place upon the parapet, whispers spread across the crowd below, the eldest Kryze needed no introduction and yet she still called out. 

“Marquess Satine Kryze.” Satine gave an elegant courtesy, pausing as Abi declared her title, all her life she had been a Marquess, as heir to the dukedom she had become accustomed to it and yet it sounded so odd... Music began playing upon taking her first step however she didn’t stop at the bottom of the stairs like her sisters before, but instead continued to confidently stride towards the table where her father and betrothed awaited. Bo-katan and Luna allowed the preplanned four steps before following their sister to the same table.

Satine stopped abruptly as she saw the man that waited for them.

“Father!” Satine exclaimed far more loudly then anyone had anticipated, as her sisters bowed formly to their father, who rose in greeting. Korkie was as sharply dressed as one would expect the duke of Mandalore to be, his red hair gelled back, his moustache neatly trimmed. He wore a tailed jacket a similar shade to that of Bo’s but, unlike hers, golden Vomur flowers had been embroidered into the rich material. The duke gave each of his daughters a warm smile that caused his pale eyes to crease.

“Not the greeting I expected.” He said, before turning to the young man who was sitting besides him. “But welcome all the same, won’t you agree?”

“Excuse my abruptness Marquiess, but are you alright?” Tiil Tat answered, also standing to greet the sisters and looking at Satine with concern. He was a tall, broad shouldered young man, a few years Satine’s senior, with a shining bald head and a pair of ears which, unfortunately, he never seemed to have grown properly into. Besides him, Tiil’s older brother and head of the Tat family, Sokka, silently sat, drinking from a goblet as his cold eyes scanned the new arrivals, his expression revealing very little of his thoughts.

“Satine, why are you crying?” Whispered Luna, concern filling her eyes.

“I know he’s not the best looking but he’s not  _ that _ bad.” Whispered Bo, placing a worried hand on her sister’s arm.

An awkward silence fell over the small group as Satine fumbled with her hands, trying to wipe away the tears that had sprouted without her permission. They were tears of sadness, not due to her arranged marriage with the young Tat, but at seeing her father, however, she had seen him that very day, and nearly every day prior to that, this sadness felt alien to her and yet still her own. 

“Why don’t you find your seats?'' The duke prompted, recognising his daughter's discomfort, he had hoped, having known Tiil since she was a child would have made the betrothal easier, but clearly he had miscalculated.

“Yes, lets.” Excitedly agreed Luna. “The chef hinted they'd be serving sugared Meiloorun.”

“And I’m going to need some wine to get through this night.” Bo-katan whispered so only Satine could hear. Satine silently agreed with her sister. Although the night of festivities was meant to be a celebration for her, and the guests danced and cheered and ate to their own pleasure, Sanitne could do very little but speak to Tiil on one side and her father on the other, with the former talking enthusiastically with Bo-katan about her guard training and the latter not having much to say at all. 

As Satine politely sat and ate, some of the guests stopped from their activities to express their congratulations- a senator from Onderon, a representative from Rodia, even a Lasat Jedi barely out of his Padawan apprentice hood.

“Oh? a Jedi Knight? Have you traveled here from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant?” Satine eagerly asked.

“Yes Marquess,” the Jedi calmly answered. “Like most of the Jedi the temple has been my home since childhood.”

“Oh what an intriguing place!” Satine continued, this being the first conversation to pique her interest all evening. “Padawans and Jedi studying the ways of the Force…”

“And what would you know of such magics?” Laughed Bo, slurring slightly as she sipped her drink.

“Well I know it allows Jedi to connect with other living creatures that inhabit the worlds- like plants and animals and even other sentient beings!” Satine hotly and swiftly answered her sister.

“Since when are you so knowledgeable about Jedi?” Bo-katan hiccuped, raising a suspicious eyebrow at her older sister.

“Ah, very curious Marquees Kryze. “ The Lasat mused. “You described a teaching of the Force in much the same words a fellow knight does.”

But Satine’s brow creased at his words. How did she know such things? “I-I must have read it in a book.” She said aloud more for her own benefit than the Jedi’s or Bo’s.

“Well if you are interested in learning of the teaching, I'm sure master Qui-Gon would be very pleased to have a pupil who intends to listen, his current Padawan cares only to seek heroics off-planet.” Satine jolted forwards at the mention of the Jedi Master-  _ Qui-Gon Gin _ , she thought the name with unexpected familiarity and his Padawan, his name to seemed to be on the tip of her tongue and yet, it alluded her… she wished she could ask more about this apprentice but decorum preached otherwise.

The night of frivolous activity passed achingly slow, so, by the time the duke arose and silence fell once again, Satine had an unforgiving headache and was begging her father to be swift so she could go to bed. However the Duke spoke his piece, causing loud applause to echo around the room, wishing Satine and Til a happy betrothal and peaceful married life. 

However, although her father’s words were filled with love and sincerity, they filled Satine with a hollow feeling. Never had the prospect of spending her life with someone she cared so little for, bother her so deeply. Since he was young she’d known of this faith, and had closed her heart to all others for she would not allow frivolous emotions to jeopardise the future of Mandalore. But this feeling, this sorrow filled dread, this is what she had tried so hard to avoid but who had scaled the walls she’d put up, to leave her wishing for something, no, someone else?

“I would have expected you to be one of the first to retire.” Korkie’s deep voice carried Satine out of her thoughts. The party had ended some time before, the guests all parting to their residences, filled to the brim with food and drink and merriment. Her sisters and her new fiance had wished her a pleasant night as well until she was the only one who remained in the ballroom. 

“The whole thing went perfectly.” She observed, watching as her father walked calmly towards her.

“As it should have.” The duke agreed, nodding his head in approval. 

“My sisters are safe in their rooms, sleeping, you are Duke and here besides me and the future of Mandalore is secured with this betrothal.” Satine began to list all things that had gone right that evening. “Any brewing wars should die with this.”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming at the end of that sentence.” Korkie observed.

“I should feel happy and satisfied and yet…” Satine struggled with the words, this turmoil of emotions was difficult to sieve through, overwhelming her thoughts. “It feels like something is missing…”

“Or maybe someone?” Korkie wisely asked, causing his eldest child to look at him, a sad realisation plaguing her beautiful eyes. 

“No…Everyone I truly care about here!”

“You must have noticed Satine...You were always far wiser than your years.”

“But this place is perfect!” 

“And yet, it is not.” Her father insisted, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as Satine felt fresh tears sting her eyes. 

“You are alive and my family is safe.” Satine insisted. 

“But he is not in this life.” Korkie finished, his words weighing down on the young woman.

Satine wanted to ask who ‘he’ was but she knew, like a small voice whispering his name, the name that had escaped her all throughout the night. The face she had searched for amongst these ghosts of the past. 

This had been the night it had all changed, the night her father had been murdered and her family had been pulled out of her reach. This was how it should have gone yet, if it had, she doubted their paths would ever have crossed in this vast galaxy and his absence left her feeling uneasy, alone even.

“Would it be so bad?” She asked her father. “I could stay here with you and Luna and Bo. Would it be so terrible to live my old life with him not in it?”

“It would be the worst feeling in the world.” He father sorrowfully explained, his voice cracking at memories of the past, of a time long before, before sickness had taken his wife from him. “For to live and never have known is far easier than to live and try to forget.”

Satine sighed at her father’s words, feeling their weight and the truth behind them. Her life before their meeting had seemed perfect, for that was all she’d ever known but now, even through the joyous festivities of that evening she had still wished, deep down, to see him amongst the crowds, for him to smile at her or pass some sarcastic comment or simply to just be there as he had been these last few months, by her side. 

“You were wrong, father.” Satine sighed, standing from her seat, “you were always far wiser than me.”

“And I have the white hairs as payment. “ Korkie chuckled, as his daughter embraced him tightly, whispering the farewell that had been snatched away from her with his demise. “Now go my beautiful girl.” He whispered into her hair. 

Satine allowed her arms to fall away from her father, wishing she could stay a moment longer but fearing that, if she did, she would never leave this place. 

From the door at the other end of the room a new figure was waiting for her, a familiar shape in ruined robes and light coloured hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, the braid symbolising his apprenticeship falling against his shoulder. His arms were crossed, his lightsaber hanging against his hip. His bright blue eyes gleamed in the light as he saw her walking towards him, a half smile playing fondly on his lips.

He extended a hand towards her but spoke no words for the girl knew now that this had all been nothing but a figment of her imagination, presenting her with two options. 

To stay here by her father’s side and succumb to a peaceful death had been one. 

She looked up at the Padawan, who looked at her as he had done so many times before and she reached out and accepted Obi-Wan Kenobi’s outstretched hand.

The second choice had been to live, irrespective of the hardships and sorrows that awaited her on the other side. To live amongst those she cared for a time longer.

That was her choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Never update will be Friday and feel free to drop a comment :D


	19. Message

It had been a number of rotations since Satine had been shot and, although Doctor Gatt had assured them that all had gone well with her surgery, she continued to sleep soundly within her hospital bed. While her uncle argued with the doctors to the point of being kicked out of the ward, to prevent further stress to the patients, Obi-Wan was allowed to stay by her side, provided he didn’t start causing a ruckus himself. He did not. At first he simply sat beside her like she had done for him, waiting, but, as time passed, the Padawan found himself flickering in and out of a meditative state, feeling Satine’s presence in the Force, sensing how she was slipping through it, away from his reach. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi knew not what the girl dreamt of, but the peaceful calm that filled her promised for a smooth transition into death. The prospect, however, pained Obi-Wan far more deeply then he had anticipated. The thought that Satine would soon leave this world, caused his chest to tighten, and his senses to go numb. He had no reason to dread Satine’s death for, according to the teachings of his master, who he’d always been somewhat skeptical about, she would not disappear but become one with the Force, to live on forever in it. The prospect did not ease Obi-Wan’s mind in the slightest.

“Please.” He whispered one evening, whilst the other patients slumbered and the nurses and doctors on duty worked on their rounds elsewhere. “Please wake-up Satine.”

He whispered the words as he clutched one of her hands in both of his, much as he had found her when he had awoken from the Scourge. He whispered the prayer once more, allowing the Force to carry it to Satine who had travelled so very far away already.

Obi-Wan sat like that for some time longer, he may have even fallen slightly asleep, though it wasn’t very deep, the softest of sound woke him.

“Obi-Wan?'' The voice was like silk however too real to be a part of any dream he may have been having. The Padawan’s eyes shot open, realising he had fallen asleep still clasping Satine’s hand, her head was turned towards him, her eyes still half closed as she looked at him. “Did I look this exhausted when you woke up?”

She tried for a smile that came out looking very drained, but Obi-Wan smiled back, unable to even describe how thankful he was that she had finally awoken. 

“Oh, far worse I assure you. Takes a lot to make me look  _ that _ bad.” He joked.

“Always the modest Padawan.” She sighed, her eyes falling on the hand he still clasped, allowing the warmth of his fingers to spread across her own, reassuring her that this was the real world and not another recreation of her dying mind. The remnants of that dream still lingered, she had expected it to leave an unwelcome, lingering feeling, but rather she felt closure, most likely at having said goodbye to her father on her own terms.

Realising where she was looking Obi-Wan quickly made to release her hand, but she reacted in a manner that asked him to stay like that a little longer. Obi-Wan didn’t argue and the two sat in silence, grateful that the other was still, somehow, alive beside them.

The silence, however, did not last for much longer. When the medical droids realised that Satine had gained consciousness they brought the doctors crowding around her. Those, in turn, brought her uncle Carter into the story who just made the whole situation a lot louder. 

“I would expect such irresponsible and foolish action from Bo-Katan!” He scolded, her uncle had been going at it for quite a few minutes now, most likely having rehearsed this ever since she’d been shot. “But I know you must be more level headed than that, Satine.”

“Yes, general.” Satine agreed once again, internally sighing, she felt like one of her uncle’s recruits who’d forgotten to make their bunk according to protocol.

“Stressing a patient will do very little to aid with her recovery.” Reprimanded Doctor Gatt, who was checking Satine’s vitals and reaction speeds once again. He looked pleased with the findings, all seemed normal and once the wound healed, the whole debacle wouldn’t even be worth mentioning again. 

“Well she’s had all of us worried sick for days!” The general countered, his uncle personality peering through his general’s mask. “She can handle it.”

“It’s fine, doctor.” Satine calmly agreed. “He has every right to do so.”

“But he isn’t telling you the good news.” The doctor continued, putting away his equipment. 

“Did the people we saved from the fire survive?” Satine perked up. 

“Most of them.” The doctor nodded his head pleased, of course that’s what she’d consider as good news. “ The casualties were far smaller in number than if you and Padawan Kenobi hadn’t interceded.”

“But that is not the good news the doctor was referring to.” Obi-Wan pointedly said, he was leaning against the wall on one side of Satine’s bed and didn’t seem particularly pleased with the ‘good news’ the doctor was referring to.

Satine raised an eyebrow at him but it was her uncle who responded. 

“Since you were injured a mysterious video has been broadcast on most of the Mandalorian official and public channels…”

“Mysterious video… I’ve got my suspicions on who may have uploaded it.” Obi-Wan sternly interrupted, looking at the general with disdain.

“Official and public channels… that means everyone within Mandalore would have seen it!” Satine’s thoughts were all over the place, she instantly went to some scandal being revealed- maybe her abdication of the duchess title? From the disproving tone Obi-Was was talking with her uncle, he obviously did not approve but the doctor had called it good news? “What ‘s this video?”

“A collection of clips taken by a number of droids portraying you, Satine, since your arrival here at Sunduri.” The doctor tried to explain, his one good eye focusing on her. 

“Your speech in front of the generals, entering the fire to save civilians, even you singing to the injured.” Obi-Wan inputted. 

“It rallied the people!” Finished General Kenn, enthusiastically. “Many who chose to stay out of the war are now fighting in your name, soldiers’ morale has drastically increased as well and the rebels are being worn thin on all fronts…”

“So I was used for propaganda for the war.” The words felt like lead as she said them.

“No, you became the symbol, the peace, the people are fighting for.”

“Do the people know I am no longer Duchess?”

“Yes, that part was also shown in the video.” Obi-Wan assured her.

“But the people wish for you to continue to lead the peace they want to follow this conflict- the woman who would risk her life for Mandalore as they have been.” The general explained.

“So it seems my hands have been tied on the matter.” She muttered to herself, unable to hide the inkling of disappointment she felt from herself. “My opinion on the matter doesn’t count much now that the video has been released.”

“To point out the big nerf in the room, however.” Obi-Wan added, “is that now both the rebels and the bounty hunters know you are here in Sundari, so that little video put an even bigger target on your back.”

“And on the backs of the people of this city!” Satine jumped, finally getting a full grasp of the situation and why Obi-Wan seemed so displeased. “We need to go, now.”

“Duchess you must yet not move or your wounds will open once again.” The doctor insisted, gently pushing her back into a more stable, seated position.

“The longer I dawdle here, the more dangerous it is for everyone.”

“One more rotation should be fine.” Obi-Wan observed. “We never found the bounty hunter that shot you, but since they didn’t try anything while you were asleep we assume he’s gone into hiding.” Obi-Wan explained.

“And we’ve got guards on every door.” General Kenn added.

“And, although it goes against their doctors' orders, I’m certain most of the men in the medical bay would also rise to aid you.” The doctor continued. “And even if they made it past all that, your Padawan protector would not be easy to thwart.”

Satine glanced towards Obi-Wan, since she’d awoken she’d never seen him leave her side and, she suspected, it hadn’t been very different while she was asleep.

“I take it you are finally fully recovered?” Satine asked. 

“Well, a crazy duchess made me run into a collapsing and burning building so didn’t have much time to recuperate.” Obi-Wan teased, but he clenched a fist, any tremor he’d had before was gone. “But I’m good enough to travel.”

“We must leave Sundari as soon as we can.” Satine agreed, “but before that, general Kenn, you have to help me get this city out of everyone’s blaster scopes.”

The doctor had openly voiced how Satine needed to rest, while Obi-Wan had openly voiced how this was not one of Satine’s better ideas. Her uncle just rolled his eyes in the background knowing that once his eldest niece got something into her head there was no changing her mind, she got that from both her parents.

So that was how the small group found themselves within the former office of the mayor of Sundari. Satine was standing before a wide window that showed the main square of Sanduri behind it. In the distance, past the wall, invisible from sight but not out of mind, they could hear the deadly sounds of warfare. 

“When you are ready, Duchess.” General Kenn informed her, adjusting the setting of the droid he’d brought in for the job. Doctor Gatt had stayed at the med bay to treat the patients that would actually listen to him and Obi-Was was leaning by the door, his eyes never leaving Satine’s thoughtful form, at the same time keeping vigilant watch of his surroundings, they had been left in peace during Satine’s recovery, their luck must be running out soon.

Satine took a moment to look down at the square, its once lively fountains were dry, its trees and shrubbery overgrown or trampled, one was even a charred husk of its former beauty, having been eaten away by flames earlier on in the war. The square should have been brimming with life and yet Satine could not see a single living creature.

The Duchess turned slowly to face her audience, the afternoon light causing shadows to cross her face, deepening the sadness that Obi-Wan doubted would ever leave her face. She had refused to be made up in any way, for she argued that this was a time of war and they had no resources to waste on hair and makeup. However, her uncle had insisted on a garb more of Mandalorian approval, so she replaced the Padawan uniform she had still been wearing for a dark blue form-fitting traveling jacket and pants.

She began to speak slowly but clearly, in a tone that captivated the ear, forcing all who heard it to stop and listen to the young woman, or that’s how it felt to Obi-Wan as his ward began to speak. 

“I wish it weren’t under such circumstances that I would make my first address to the people of mandalore as their duchess however, it is during such times when I am needed most. It is a sad day when brothers and sisters take up arms against each other and water the soils of our planet with their own blood. Many months ago, the sun sat on our peaceful Mandalore and we have been flailing in the dark since then, some of you have even probably wondered if this night would ever end. I admit it, I too have feared this endless night, that our world would become one simply of eternal darkness however, it is when the night is darkest that we know the dawn is closest. 

“We must not lose hope, we must not give up on the peaceful Mandalore we all strive for…” Satine’s voice faltered, “I wish I was a better leader to you all, I wish I could fight besides you and do what I must, kill who I must, but I cannot and for that I deemed myself weak and not worthy to lead you.”

Satine bowed her head apologetically , the droid capturing every minute movement. “However, recent events have shown me that that is not my weakness but my strength, for if I were to lead as a hypocrite I would hold very little value as a leader. So all I can do is try to give you hope.” A new fierce passion filled Satine’s voice, one Obi-Wan had never heard before. “I wish I could order my troops to put aside their weapons, for the leader of this rebellion to meet me for negotiations but I know such notions are far beyond us now. Every night ends, the sun will rise again on Mandalore! Until then we must continue to fight, to survive for the world we wish to live in.

“Recent events have also shown me that I am a target for the rebels, having sent bounty hunters to track me down and who have blatantly shown they care very little of the innocents they destroy to reach me. That is why I also have a message for you, rebels.” 

Satine’s voice changed to one more defiant, her eyes looking straight at the droid as if she could see the rebels she was addressing, “by the time you receive this transmission I would have disappeared from Sundari and you can tell your bounty hunters I will not be going to any of the domed cities. It is me you want then you will hunt me away from my people. This will be my final transmission, news from the domed cities will not reach me so any treacherous schemes you may come up with won’t work. But know this, the war will end and you have made it that there will be no victors in this battle.”

Satine finished, her face portraying the challenge she had just sent out, to hunt her on her own terms.

When her uncle gestured that the recording had stopped, Satine’s whole frame relaxed. She felt exhausted and she was certain some of the things she’d said hadn’t made sense, they were more for emphasis but she hoped that her people would understand what she meant. 

“By tonight this video will be transmitted across all of Mandalore.” General Kenn informed her.

“And we must have left Sanduri by then.” Obi-Wan informed her, silently impressed at how well she had spoken. He could understand how she had been trained to speak and lead her people, even with her pacifist ways. “ Do you think it will work? Will this stop the bounty hunters from targeting the cities?”

“No.” Satine admitted, honestly. “ But we must have hope, for that is all anyone has left.”

Obi -Wan nodded his head, he had heard stories from the elder Jedi masters about how the stubborn notion of hope had allowed many a dire situation to pass but many lives too have also been lost at grasping at strands of hope in a battle long lost.

The general placed a hand to his ear and a low buzzing indicated that he was receiving a message through his comms. “Your ship is almost done being fueled and loaded with provisions.” The general sighed, looking at Satine not as a military leader but his niece. “I really wish you could stay where I could keep an eye on you.”

“Uncle, you must know it’s too risky for me to stay here and I feel you would be more focused on protecting me then Sanduri.”

“Ever the diplomatic thinker.” He sighed again, giving his niece a saddened and tired smile. “Have you decided where you will vanish to?”

“Off- planet for sure.” Obi-Wan explained, “but we haven’t decided where. I’d like to take the duchess to Coruscant and go into the Jedi Temple’s protection.”

“But I can't just stay safe when, skies above know where my sisters and your master are.” Protested Satine, narrowing her eyes. The disbelieving look Obi-Wan gave Satine told her uncle that the two had had this argument before and he felt slightly more at ease as he watched the two converse. He had not approved the notion of calling upon the Jedi to aid in the Mandalorian war but the general had very little doubt it was thanks to this apprentice that he was given the opportunity to see his niece again and seeing them interact these past few days he knew that their relationship was more than a job based on the idea of a guard protecting his ward.

“I’m not sure if this is of any help, however men fighting at the capital have acquired information that the rebels have been sending carriers to a Draboon.” The general interrupted, catching the attention of the two youths. 

“Draboon?” Obi-Wan raised a questioning eyebrow, never having heard that name before. 

“It's a forested astronomical object.” Satine explained, but her brow furrowed in thought. “We always suspected it was all that remained of a planet following an meteorite collision for it has its own gravity and atmosphere and even life but it's way too small and irregularly shaped to be classified as a moon or planet.” The dutchess continued to look at her uncle in confusion. “What could the rebels be doing on Draboon?”

“We assumed it was nothing good.” The general admitted, “and we’ve recently confirmed we were right.”

“What are they transporting?” Satine’s heart was racing, dread at hearing the answer making her limbs feel numb, but she had to know, though she preyed, her fears were misplaced.

They were not.

“Not what but rather who…” The general carefully explained. “They have been transporting prisoners of war to Draboon, why though, we don’t know.”

“We have to go to Draboon.” Satine commanded Obi-Wan who also had understood who the duchess was hoping may be on this piece of rock in space.

“We don’t know that they are there.” Obi-Wan pointed out,  _ we don't even know if they are still alive _ , but he chose to keep that last part to himself, he didn’t want to worry the duchess further, though he knew that thought had been plaguing her mind constantly since losing her sisters, that may be why she acting so rashly on such crumbs of information, drawing at straws, hoping and fighting against her rational side that spoke a truth she feared.

“But they could be!”

“It could be a trap.”

“But it could not be.”

“And I could quit the temple and become a nerfherder.” Sarcastically put in Obi-Wan. “I don’t like us travelling on ‘could be’s”

Satine wanted to argue but the Padawan was right, they had no concrete proof that they’d find anything but wasted time on Draboon.

“What harm could there be?” Satine weakly tried, begging with her eyes.

“When you are involved, Duchess, usually a lot.” Obi-Wan conceded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank so so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the update. Feel free to drop a comment, next chapter will be up Tuesday 😁

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I will try and update twice a week and feel free to drop a review, I always love to hear from you :D


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